WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

When 16-year-old Cassidy “Sid” Murphy decides to join her two best friends on a class ski trip, she has no idea that the trip will change her life forever.

A chance meeting with a local college boy leads to a night Sid can barely remember, but will certainly never forget, sending her on a downward spiral so severe she becomes quite literally a shadow of her former self. Sid’s unable to put into words the truth of what happened that night, leaving her friends and classmates to draw their own conclusions while Sid struggles to pick up the broken pieces and cobble them back together on her own. Little does she know that by opting to forego her normal course load and hide out in the AV room, she’s made another life-altering decision. This time, however, it is thankfully for the better. Enter Corey Livingston, “the half-baked, pothead, ex-juvie thug” who might just hold the answers. Equal parts endearing spunk and heartbreaking vulnerability, Sid Murphy is a character who feels more like family by story’s end. The story—and even more importantly, Sid herself—will stay with readers long after the final page is turned.

Kudos to Clayton for crafting a powerful, moving debut.