The Midnights

After Susannah's father, a former rock star, crashes his car in what looks like suicide, her mother moves them in with her mother, Vivian, forcing Susannah at the height of her grief to juggle a new school and a grandmother she's never met. She immediately makes friends, though, with Lynn, a bar-going partier who is best friends with a group of musicians. They allow sensitive, hopeful, song-writing Susannah to explore her musical affinities and talent, which helps her feel close to her father, but Lynn's friendship comes with problems Susannah did not anticipate. Susannah's drifting among romantic partners stalls the narrative's momentum, but when Smetana sticks close to the intermingling of music, family issues, and the joy to be found through creative outpouring, the result is emotionally layered and moving. Ages 14%E2%80%93up. Agent: Jess Regel, Foundry Literary + Media. (Mar.)