Kate's sophomore year is shaping up to be a spectacular mess. Her former best friend is now popular and acts like Kate doesn't even exist. Kate's father suddenly quits his job to pursue his dream, which is to sell Perfect You vitamins at a booth in the mall. His impetuous and irresponsible behavior lands the family in money trouble, so life at home is tense and stressful. To make matters worse, poor Kate is forced to work for her father, spending most of her free hours trapped at the mall, trying to avoid humiliation. At school and at work, she verbally spars with Will, a boy she supposedly can't stand, yet admits to being "reluctantly lust-ridden" for. With her family falling apart and her best friend turning her back on her, the last thing Kate feels she can handle is being made a mockery of by Will, a notorious womanizer. When Kate's critical grandmother moves in, Kate is horrified to see that she often acts quite a bit like her grandma. She's so busy building up walls around her feelings and so set on things turning out terribly that she can't see what is good in her life. Both Kate and Will are excellent characters, and Scott's dialogue is superb. Kate is witty, sarcastic, and stubborn—all wonderful traits that Kate learns can work against her at times. Scott manages to capture the common high school troubles of family issues, dating and friendships without making it all seem too overwhelming. Kate may start out feeling alone, but she ends up with some surprising allies in her corner.
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