Waiting for You

Waiting for You by Susane Colasanti (NY: Viking, 2009)

High school sophomore Marisa wants this school year to be different--and better--than last year, filled with boyfriends and social success. Last year, everyone just thought she was crazy. She and her best friend Sterling make plans, which of course get derailed immediately. Marisa is a brooder; last year she was diagnosed with an anxiety order and depression, and while it seems to be in control this year, the edges whip around her all the time, threatening to overtake the fragile seams of her tensile world. Like all teens, she feels the potential for the perfect relationship is "waiting" for her....and maybe she's found it in Derek, her crush-turned-first-boyfriend. But what about her neighbor Nash, who clearly likes her and with whom she reconnects over Chemistry labs and projects? And then there's the mysterious Dirty Dirk whose nightly webcasts seem to speak directly to her life and issues.

Poignant insights into the tumultuous inner life of a teen make this novel a great YA read. Excellent for grades 7 & up. Language, mild sexual situations.