• Age: 12 to 18
• Grade: 8 to 12
• Reading age: 12 to 18

Key Selling Points

• When her younger brother disappears with their overdue rent money, a self-reliant teenage girl goes searching for him and finds unexpected help and romance along the way.
• This book examines dysfunctional families, sibling conflict and the hardships of poverty and alcoholism, and demonstrates the power of resilience and learning to accept help.
• A romantic thriller that genuinely depicts a teen meeting and falling for someone while struggling with a high-stakes situation.
• The author has written many romance novels, and this is her third Soundings title, following Counting Scars and Racing Hearts .
• Enhanced features (dyslexia-friendly font, cream paper, larger trim size) to increase reading accessibility for dyslexic and other striving readers.

Melinda Di Lorenzo has been writing professionally for more than a decade and is the author of Counting Scars and Racing Hearts in the Orca Soundings line. In 2013 she won Harlequin's annual So You Think You Can Write contest, which came with a publishing contract and launched her successfully into the romance world. With a BA in English from Simon Fraser University and a passion for classic love stories that feature strong (albeit sometimes problematic) female leads battling social constraints, such as Pride and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights, Melinda infuses her books with flawed characters in real, relatable situations. Bullied as a teen, Melinda sought refuge in books. She now wants to bring that refuge to others, and she draws on her experience as the parent of three teens to craft stories that reflect modern struggles without turning those struggles into stereotypes. She also supports young writers and makes an annual creative writing scholarship donation to École Salish Secondary. Melinda lives in Surrey, British Columbia.

Melinda Di Lorenzo's profile page

“This thrilling story is ultimately realistic but optimistic, with Hannah learning to find hope in the people around her…Reluctant readers will be engaged by this suspenseful and heartening tale.”

Kirkus Reviews

“Successfully presents an unfortunate, but realistic, view into what life can be like for some teens...A great read for a high school student who is looking for a book that...tells a great story. Highly Recommended.”

CM: Canadian Review of Materials