Courtney Summers meets Deb Caletti in this āall too believableā (Publishers Weekly) page-turning suspense story about a teen girlāreeling in the wake of betrayed trustāwho learns what it is to face hard truths about yourself and others, and how to find strength when you need it most.
Sixteen-year-old Erica Walker is a webcomic artist who wants to fit in at her affluent new high school. Seventeen-year-old Thomas VanBrackel is an aspiring songwriter and reluctant lacrosse goalie who wants out from under his fatherās thumb. After their electric first kiss at Saturdayās lacrosse match, Erica and Thomas both want to see where their new relationship could take them.
The next morning, however, following a drunken house party, Erica wakes up half-clothed, and discovers words and names drawn in Sharpie in intimate places on her bodyānames belonging to Thomasās lacrosse friends, including the boyfriend of Ericaās best friend. Devastated, Erica convinces herself Thomas wasnāt involved in this horrific so-called prankā¦until she discovers Thomasās name on her skin, too.
Told in alternating viewpoints, Erica seeks to uncover what happened while battling to keep evidence of her humiliation from leaking out, as Thomas grapples with his actions and who he thought he was. Woven throughout, illustrated graphic novel interstitials depict Ericaās alter ego superhero, Erica Strange, whose courage just might help Erica come through to the other side.