First published 2015
Eden sits in a rescue facility, trying to forget the Vegas streets where she sold her body after running from her preacher father. Seth stares at hospital walls, recovering from wounds that nearly killed him after his father disowned him for being gay. Whitney battles heroin withdrawal while facing the wreckage of dreams destroyed by her pimp. Ginger counts days since her arrest for soliciting an undercover cop, wondering if her girlfriend still waits for her. Cody learns to walk again after a bullet left him bleeding in an alley, payment for gambling debts he couldn't cover. Each carries scars from choices that led them into prostitution. Now they face harder questions than survival. Can Eden trust the counselors who promise safety? Will Seth find family beyond the father who rejected him? Can Whitney break free from the drugs that numbed her pain? The five teenagers navigate separate paths through recovery centers, hospitals, and halfway houses. Their journeys toward healing reveal whether love and forgiveness can overcome the trauma that nearly destroyed them.
Genres: fiction, addiction, crime, contemporary, young-adult, lgbt
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, redemption, second-chance
Setting: Vegas, Rescue Facility, Hospital, Halfway House
Period: Contemporary
528 pages · Hardcover · Margaret K. McElderry Books
Content warnings: addiction, child-abuse, drug-use, sexual-assault, trafficking