Jude has finally found a way out of the small town where she is an outcast. If she can get into drama school and convince her father to let her go, she can leave the Royal Duchy School and the horrible girls who go there. Jude knows that it is a long shot that she would get accepted but she knows she has to try.

Just as she is trying to leave Churchtown, her childhood best friend Stella returns. Stella made Jude feel confident. When Stella left Jude lost that confidence. Stella is very outgoing and isn’t afraid to tell people exactly how she feels. Jude’s father never liked Stella and neither did her best friend Ed. She decides to keep it a secret from them that Stella has returned.

Stella being there gives Jude a boldness that she doesn’t usually have. She speaks her mind, often at the expense of those who love her. The more Jude is around Stella the more she pushes her father and Ed away. She treats them as though she doesn’t need them anymore. Her behavior is becoming more and more erratic. She is drinking to the point of blacking out. She begins to question what she has been doing during these blackouts. Her arch rival’s boyfriend seems to have a familiarity with her that she does not understand since she never talks to him. Ed tells her that he doesn’t even recognize her anymore. Jude is upset by all the accusations from her friends and family. The more they push her the more she moves towards Stella and her erratic behavior.

Once Stella arrives in Churchtown the story moves along quickly. Jude’s spiral starts almost immediately. She begins to distance herself from her family which makes them suspect of what is going on with her. The loss of her mother plays a role in Jude’s behavior and her father tries to shield her from her mother’s issues. Jude begins to go through her mother’s things and realizes how out of her element her mother was in such a small town. Her mother belonged back in London where the action is just like Jude knows she belongs there as well. She holds her mother’s unhappiness against her father which strains their relationship. If Jude can help herself she may be able to save her relationship with her father and her best friend Ed before she goes too far.

It is frustrating to read as Jude completely unravels once Stella arrives. She is completely under Stella’s spell. The one thing she wants more than anything is to get into drama school and leave Churchtown but she even puts that in danger with her erratic behavior.

Nadin has constructed a fast-paced story with a climax you won’t see coming. Jude is a sympathetic character that readers will relate to. Everyone has a friend in their past that has brought out behavior that they’re not proud of.

This is appropriate for ages 13 & up.

© 2011 Amy Ridley

Amy Ridley received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Boston University