The Truth About Happily Ever After

Gr 9 Up—From the outside, Alyssa's life seems ideal. During the school year, she is part of a lively sorority, and during the summers, she works in her favorite theme park as Cinderella. She has the perfect hair and the perfect smile and her very own Prince Charming, park medic Jake. When the summer starts, Alyssa can't wait to end their long-distance days and rekindle what they had the summer before. But when Jake gets to town, he is distant, and Alyssa notices that something just isn't quite right. As her world crumbles, she isolates herself, shutting out her friends and letting her performance at work slip. Just in the nick of time, her persistent friend Miller steps in, forcing Alyssa to take a better look at herself and discover the person she truly is. While the novel starts off with many heavy-handed, Disney-esque references and frustrating teen speak, Cozzo finds her way near the midpoint, delivering a compelling story with a protagonist readers can't help rooting for. Alyssa's struggles seem genuine, and Miller is an unlikely yet lovable knight in shining armor.