No Place to Fall

Gr 10 Up—In the atmospheric mountains of western North Carolina, high school junior Amber Vaughn is the peacekeeper in the family. She's pretty sure that her daddy has a sweetie on the side, her momma seems afraid to lose weight and venture outside of her safe home, and her sister Whitney married drug dealer and rock-star-wannabe Sammy when she found herself pregnant. Amber is determined to make something of herself. She has true musical talent, but is afraid that her voice will never go beyond Sunday gospel solos. When the teen learns of a scholarship to a prestigious arts school, Will, the brother of her best friend Devon, offers to help her audition. Will is the sweetheart of one of the other Ambers in her class (confusingly, there are three of them) and is therefore off-limits, but he's just so hard to resist. The more they work together, the more obvious it becomes that they should be a couple. Then, her sister's legal crises and her own misjudgment while trying to help another friend threaten to destroy everything that she's worked so hard to build. Debut author Brown is off to a wonderful start with authentic characters who speak in true voices. Amber could be the best friend you had in high school—she's funny and moody and truthful and absolutely the real deal, and readers will clamor for another well-paced story featuring her and her friends. Realistic treatment of social pot smoking, some drinking and (safe) sex make this title appropriate for mature teens.—Susan Riley, Mamaroneck Public Library, NY