I look across at Zoe. She won't meet my eyes. Her gaze is fixed on the left rear mirror. Her face is expressionless but her straight back and upright shoulders hint at an inner toughness. It's almost a devil-may-care attitude. It's quite a contrast to the my-life-is-falling-apart foetal position I am curled up in.
Gabbie Martyn is fourteen. She thinks her life is perfect the way it is. But things start to change, and she is forced to come to terms with a new reality. Her uncle, recently separated from his wife, moves into the garage. Zoe, Gabbie's best friend, is arrested. And then there is Zak, the new guy at school, who Gabbie is falling for in a big way.
Suddenly life isn't so easy. And Gabbie is losing the things she needs most. She lies - to protect herself, her friends and her parents. But lying can set off a chain of events that ends in disaster … Scared and alone, Gabbie turns to the only person who seems to be on her side - Uncle Darryl.
Young adult readers will be drawn in by this superbly written novel, which tackles the realities of growing up with humour, courage and hope.
