Juniper Lemon's Happiness Index

Every day since her older sister Camilla's death on the Fourth of July, sixteen-year-old Juniper Lemon has recorded notes about positives and negatives of her day in her "happiness index"--a practice inspired by her sister's sunny optimism. The novel opens on day sixty-five: Juniper begins junior year grief-stricken and resentful of the awkward looks and silences from classmates, including her now-distant best friend; and she discovers an undelivered breakup letter written by Camilla, addressed only to a mysterious "You." On day sixty-six, Juniper realizes she's lost happiness index card #65, and a frenzied search has her sifting through school Dumpsters with unexpected help from cute bad-boy Brand, who takes a special interest in the quest. Instead of her card, Juniper discovers in the Dumpsters inspiration for an art project involving found objects, several of which lead her to connect with lonely classmates. As multiple story lines interweave and backstories (including the full truth about the car accident that killed her sister) unfold at a measured pace, Juniper's ongoing searches--for card #65, for the identity of "You," for ways to fill the Camilla-shaped hole in her life, for meaning in found objects and negative space--cohere into an insightful rumination on loss and survivor's guilt. With nuanced emotional growth, a sweet blossoming romance, light mystery, high-school social shenanigans, and an eclectic cast of memorable characters, Israel's debut novel is conventional YA realism in the most appealing sense. katrina hedeen