
A parent would reach for this book when their teenager is struggling to set boundaries with an emotionally volatile or unreliable adult. It is a vital resource for older teens who feel they have become the 'parent' in their household and are ready to reclaim their own future. The story follows Grace, a talented seventeen year old musician who is tired of being uprooted every time her mother, Maggie, experiences a whim or a heartbreak. As Grace navigates a high stakes audition and her first real romance with a girl named Eva, she must learn that loving someone does not mean sacrificing her own stability. This contemporary novel explores the heavy weight of parentification and the transformative power of finding a chosen family. It is best suited for mature teens (ages 14 and up) due to its honest look at emotional neglect and its authentic depiction of queer identity and romance. Parents will find it a meaningful bridge for discussing independence and the realization that a parent's happiness is not a child's responsibility.
Includes kissing and moderate descriptions of intimacy between two teen girls.
Deals with emotional neglect, grief over a lost parent, and the burden of parental instability.
Depictions of teen parties with alcohol consumption.
Emotional neglect, parentification, and secondary grief (the loss of a parent). The story also touches on the volatility of a parent with undiagnosed or unaddressed mental health struggles and the resulting instability in the home.
A high schooler who feels they are the only adult in the house. This is for the teen who has spent their childhood protecting a parent's feelings at the expense of their own development.
Parents should be prepared to discuss the concept of parentification. While the book can be read cold, it is helpful to preview the scenes where Maggie's lack of boundaries forces Grace into impossible situations, as these may be mirrors for some readers. A child might express deep resentment toward their parent's choices or mention that they feel responsible for their parent's emotional wellbeing.
Younger teens (13 to 14) will focus on the romance and the excitement of a high stakes audition. Older teens (17 to 18) will more deeply resonate with the existential dread of graduating while feeling tethered to a parent who isn't ready to let them go.
Unlike many YA novels that focus solely on romantic angst, this book prioritizes the internal process of a child realizing that their parent is a flawed, separate entity whose happiness is not their burden to carry.
Seventeen year old Grace is a gifted pianist who has spent her life being dragged from town to town by her erratic and emotionally immature mother, Maggie. When they return to a beach town where Maggie grew up, Grace decides this is her final stop. She finds solace in Eva, a girl mourning the recent death of her own mother, and together they navigate the complexities of grief and burgeoning first love. Grace must decide if she will follow her mother's next whim or finally choose her own path to music school.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.
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