“A hard-hitting third novel that swings between incredibly painful low moments and hard-won victories.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Angie is broken—by her can’t-be-bothered mother, by her high-school tormenters, and by being the only one who thinks her varsity-athlete-turned-war-hero sister is still alive. Having failed to kill herself—in front of a gym full of kids—Angie’s back at high school just trying to make it through each day. That is, until the arrival of KC Romance, a girl who knows too well that the package doesn’t always match what’s inside. With an offbeat sensibility and mean girls to rival a horror classic, this darkly comic anti-romantic romance will appeal to anyone who likes entertaining and meaningful fiction.
WINNER Stonewall Children's and Young Adult Literature Award
Charlton-Trujillo offers a hard-hitting third novel that swings between incredibly painful low moments and hard-won victories. —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
The voice of a dry and direct third-person narrator works in a story laden with heavy topics, including war, death, suicide, cutting, bullying, and homosexuality. —School Library Journal (starred review)
Entrancingly eccentric prose, a protagonist “jam-packed with awkward” and a military sister missing in action coalesce into a memorable romance that’s rockier than might be expected—and more realistic. —Kirkus Reviews
Angie’s gradual grieving process, which takes her through crushing embarrassment as well as bittersweet triumph, will move readers as it takes up multiple contemporary issues and processes them with both credibility and considerable rhetorical finesse. —Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Angie epitomizes the hidden anger and self-abusive mentality of the traumatized victim. While she does not completely recover, Angie’s discovery of worth and direction in life leaves the reader with a hopeful ending. —VOYA
Charlton-Trujillo’s prose has all the muscular self-confidence Angie thinks she lacks. Perhaps channeling both cummings and Block, she fills her pages with startling and often funny wordplay. In an age dominated by bland, first-person narration, her fresh style stands out and grabs readers in the most pleasing way possible. ... It’s impossible not to love Angie. —Kirkus Reviews Online
This is a novel of many dimensions... [It] is filled with so many different elements that it will appeal to a wide range of readers. —Library Media Connection
Beautifully written, dark and wildly funny, this book will have you crying, raging and cheering. —Waking Brain Cells
Angie deals with some very heavy situations — war, death, first love, addiction, and alienation — but her perspective and attitude are so fresh and novel that the book transcends 'issues' status and registers as a bona fide original. Highly recommended. —The Philadelphia Inquirer
“A hard-hitting third novel that swings between incredibly painful low moments and hard-won victories.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Angie is broken—by her can’t-be-bothered mother, by her high-school tormenters, and by being the only one who thinks her varsity-athlete-turned-war-hero sister is still alive. Having failed to kill herself—in front of a gym full of kids—Angie’s back at high school just trying to make it through each day. That is, until the arrival of KC Romance, a girl who knows too well that the package doesn’t always match what’s inside. With an offbeat sensibility and mean girls to rival a horror classic, this darkly comic anti-romantic romance will appeal to anyone who likes entertaining and meaningful fiction.
Awards
WINNER Stonewall Children's and Young Adult Literature Award
Praise
Charlton-Trujillo offers a hard-hitting third novel that swings between incredibly painful low moments and hard-won victories. —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
The voice of a dry and direct third-person narrator works in a story laden with heavy topics, including war, death, suicide, cutting, bullying, and homosexuality. —School Library Journal (starred review)
Entrancingly eccentric prose, a protagonist “jam-packed with awkward” and a military sister missing in action coalesce into a memorable romance that’s rockier than might be expected—and more realistic. —Kirkus Reviews
Angie’s gradual grieving process, which takes her through crushing embarrassment as well as bittersweet triumph, will move readers as it takes up multiple contemporary issues and processes them with both credibility and considerable rhetorical finesse. —Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Angie epitomizes the hidden anger and self-abusive mentality of the traumatized victim. While she does not completely recover, Angie’s discovery of worth and direction in life leaves the reader with a hopeful ending. —VOYA
Charlton-Trujillo’s prose has all the muscular self-confidence Angie thinks she lacks. Perhaps channeling both cummings and Block, she fills her pages with startling and often funny wordplay. In an age dominated by bland, first-person narration, her fresh style stands out and grabs readers in the most pleasing way possible. ... It’s impossible not to love Angie. —Kirkus Reviews Online
This is a novel of many dimensions... [It] is filled with so many different elements that it will appeal to a wide range of readers. —Library Media Connection
Beautifully written, dark and wildly funny, this book will have you crying, raging and cheering. —Waking Brain Cells
Angie deals with some very heavy situations — war, death, first love, addiction, and alienation — but her perspective and attitude are so fresh and novel that the book transcends 'issues' status and registers as a bona fide original. Highly recommended. —The Philadelphia Inquirer
