Rabbit & Juliet

Gr 9 Up–When Rabbit (whose name is really Sadie, but nobody calls her that) lost her mom to cancer, her world narrowed. These days, she tries to manage her father’s barely functional alcoholism while floating through small-town life in a haze of loneliness. Enter Juliet: wealthy, beautiful, and impulsive, drawing Rabbit into her orbit hard and fast. By the time Rabbit’s stalker-ish ex-boyfriend Richard’s new girlfriend Sarah (who is also Rabbit’s ex–best friend) brings a dangerous secret to their attention, the hook has been set, and Rabbit is no match for Juliet’s vengeful machinations. Juliet’s desire to sufficiently punish Richard and his cronies for their crimes pushes her to increasingly violent acts as Rabbit and Sarah’s loyalty to Juliet, each other, and themselves is called into question. Toxicity in first loves and in masculinity, and the compounding effects of grief and loneliness are explored through deeply affecting and sympathetic characters who fight hard for their own moral footing in a world where people often don’t get what they deserve. Despite such heavy topics, the central romance is as compelling and authentic as they come, and Rabbit’s white-knuckle grip on her sanity despite her deep and bruising depression will suck readers right in.