What Happened to Lani Garver

Reach for this book when your teenager is struggling with the pressure to project a perfect image while masking deep personal anxieties or health-related trauma. It is a powerful choice for teens who feel like they are performing for their peers or who are navigating the complex social hierarchy of high school while dealing with internal 'foulness' like illness or eating disorders. The story follows Claire, a leukemia survivor who has finally made it into the popular crowd, only to have her world upended by the arrival of Lani Garver, a mysterious student whose ambiguous gender and radical honesty challenge the island's rigid social norms. Through their bond, the book explores the courage required to be authentic when the world demands conformity. It deals with heavy themes including cancer recovery, body image, and homophobic violence, making it best suited for mature teens ready for a realistic and often gritty look at adolescent identity.