I’ll Meet You There

After receiving a full scholarship to a San Francisco college, budding artist Skylar thinks she’s won a ticket out of Creek View, Calif., a town consisting of “a trailer park, a few run-down houses, a couple of business that barely made enough to keep their doors open, and the Paradise Motel,” where she works part-time. Standing on the threshold of a promising future, Skylar confronts forces holding her back: she’s worried about leaving her mother, who has lost her job and started drinking again, and she’s also drawn to Josh, a Marine who has returned to Creek View physically and emotionally damaged. Demetrios (Exquisite Captive) paints a vivid portrait of a teen overburdened with responsibility and confused by conflicting passions. Skylar’s thoughts, interspersed with Josh’s memories of war and his uncertainties about his future, dramatically convey how the two come together before being pulled apart by fear. If the ups and downs of their romance are slightly drawn out, the striking details of small-town life and well-developed supporting characters will keep readers engaged. Ages 14–up. Agent: Brenda Bowen, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. (Feb.)