COUNTING SCARS

A 16-year-old is drawn to a mysterious guy when she is packed off to a last-resort reform camp by her social worker.

Adele is a good kid who has struggled with little family support, and she just wants to get through the next two weeks at the inanely named Camp Happy after her mother suffers an overdose and goes into an in-patient rehab center. As soon as she arrives Adele encounters fellow camper Fergus, a magnetic loner, and is immediately warned away from him by Andy, who, despite being good-looking and friendly, makes Adele uneasy. Employing accessible vocabulary peppered with realistic teen dialogue and short, fast-paced, plot-driven chapters, the book quickly establishes a connection between Adele and Fergus, who after seeming to appear and disappear at random around camp, helps her find her way in the woods after she reluctantly agrees to attend an illicit bonfire. Adele’s attempts to stay on the straight and narrow due to her desperation to be seen in a good light by her long-absent father will make her sympathetic to readers, and romance fans will appreciate the spark between her and Fergus. As his backstory becomes more central to the story, a solid mystery unfolds. Characters all read as White.

An engaging, focused romantic thriller that will pull in reluctant readers.