Winter comes to an end in Shirley Falls and 16-year-old Amy is falling in love with Thomas Robertson, her high school English teacher. Her single mom Isabelle is on a self-improvement quest in an effort to make others think more highly of her. At the same time, Isabelle’s best friend Stacy tells that she broke up with her boyfriend even with the possibility of being pregnant.

Rich in humor, sexy, and with and a great knowledge of both teenagers and the difficulties of adult-teen relationships, the author weaves a wonderful coming-of age story. Revealing the uncertainties and awkwardness of youth and the less-than-well-off, the characters practically jump off the pages in their reality. Stacy’s disdain of others (“All men are rat-fucks.” and “Relatives are boring”) is particularly amusing. I especially like the acknowledgement that there is a time in a parent-teen relationship in which the parent and teen actually connect before the teen takes off for the separate world of the adult.