Rosie Girl

Seventeen-year-old Rosie’s best friend Mary has always been her savior. Desperate for cash—Mary wants to leave Miami, and Rosie needs to pay a private investigator to track down her birth mother—they hatch an unorthodox plan, with Mary trading sex for money. The business is both illegal and dangerous, quickly attracting the wrong kinds of attention, while Rosie’s alcoholic stepmother remains oblivious to it all. Through a series of shattering revelations, debut author Shepard unwinds a tale of dark secrets about family, trust, and identity. Clues to a final twist are peppered throughout, becoming more obvious as the story barrels toward an abrupt ending; readers will gradually recognize the unreliability of Rosie’s narration. Shepard paints a painful portrait of a teenage girl living on the fringe with few protections at her disposal. But supporting characters, including wild-child Mary and Rosie’s private investigator–turned–love interest, remain largely one-dimensional, and the novel doesn’t full delve into the issues of mental illness, addiction, and abuse that it raises. Ages 14–up. Agent: Leigh Feldman, Leigh Feldman Literary. (July)