Forget You

Forget You by Jennifer Echols (NY: Gallery Books, 2010).

Zoey already has a lot going on heading into the last weekend of the summer--but then her dad and mom split up because her dad's been having an affair with an employee at his water park and gotten her pregnant. Rather than listening to them fight--and dealing with her fragile mother as she has been all summer anyway--Zoey decides to head to a beach party, where she impulsively has sex (her first time!) with Brandon, a friend and co-worker at her dad's water park, but also somewhat of a cad when it comes to girls. Zoey seems to think things will be different between them, but before she can even deal with that, her mom attempts suicide and ends up in a mental hospital. Worse, Doug Fox, a boy who's been standoffish with Zoey since a 9th grade misunderstanding as well as his stint in juvie, happens to see her at the hospital and find out about her mom. Zoey wants to keep it quiet and is worried Doug will tell everyone. As if all this isn't enough, Zoey has a car accident and can't remember what happened immediately before it. Now Brandon is avoiding her and Doug is acting as if they're more than friends....

If you love teen drama with a realistic twist, this is a great read. Zoey spends much of the novel trying to figure out what happened the night of her accident and dealing with her feelings about her dad, her dad's pregnant fiance, her crazy mom, and her sexuality. Echols develops the romance nicely, highlighting Zoey's conflicts and confusion. Highly recommended for ages 13 & up. Sexual situations, language.