Breakaway
A Novel
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- $17.99
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- $17.99
Publisher Description
When Jason Marshall's younger sister passes away, he knows he can count on his three best friends and soccer teammates—Mario, Jordie, and Chick—to be there for him. With a grief-crippled mother and a father who's not in the picture, he needs them more than ever. But when Mario starts hanging out with a rough group of friends and Jordie finally lands the girl of his dreams, Jason is left to fend for himself while maintaining a strained relationship with troubled and quiet Chick. Then Jason meets Raine, a girl he thinks is out of his league but who sees him for everything he wants to be, and he finds himself pulled between building a healthy and stable relationship with a girl he might be falling in love with, grieving for his sister, and trying to hold onto the friendships he has always relied on.
A witty and emotionally moving tale of friendship, first love, and loss, Breakaway is Kat Spears at her finest.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
As in her debut novel, Sway, Spears showcases a talent for creating believably flawed characters seeking connection in the aftermath of tragedy. Seventeen-year-old Jason is reeling from the sudden death of his younger sister, Sylvia; now, it's just Jason and his mother, who is coping as poorly as he is. Jason's social life is just as rocky, with his close-knit band of soccer buddies rapidly disintegrating Mario is doing more and more drugs; Jordie's ambitions seem to include leaving his blue-collar friends behind; and nervous, awkward Chick is being lost in the mix. When Jason meets Raine, who is chafing against the expectations of her wealthy family, it's the start of a cautious romance with an intensity that thrills, and perhaps scares, both of them. Raine and Jason's relationship could have easily veered into stereotypical "bad boy" territory, but his anger and her frustrations never feel anything but genuine. Life comes at Spears's characters hard both young and old and the book's strength and power comes from watching them try to find purchase, not always successfully. Ages 14 up.
