Faithful/Alice Hoffman/258 pages

Shelby is a ordinary teenage girl until one night a tragedy changes her fate. Hoffman has written a sometimes dark but moving account of a young girl fighting her way back, trying to find happiness in most unexpected places. The most intriguing story is about the relationships she forms with a small circle of friends that help her uncoil and slowly open up again, slowly coming around to her own worth and value.  Faithful does read like a young adult novel, but there is rape scene near the beginning, and the main character is pretty self destructive so probably recommended for older teens and adults. Worth a read just because Shelby rescues a one-eyed dog named Blinkie!