Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr

From Goodreads: When she is caught in the backseat of a car with her older brother's best friend - Deanna Lambert's teenage life is changed forever. Struggling to overcome the lasting repercussions and the stifling role of "school slut," she longs to escape a life defined by her past. With subtle grace, complicated wisdom and striking emotion, The Story of a Girl reminds us of our human capacity for resilience, epiphany and redemption

I was taken by surprise with this book. I had heard good reviews but it was just beautifully written. I loved how the author created a world where things are not black and white. The characters are realistically complicated, especially her dad, who I spent most of the book being annoyed at yet also understanding why he behaved the way he did. I really felt as if I was in Deanna’s head - at first she felt very guarded, even from herself, preferring to think about herself as the anonymous girl she liked to write about, but towards the end you get to really see how she feels. The book is full of emotion and was heartbreaking to read at times, especially Deanna’s confrontation with her father. It also ended in a good way – feeling realistic rather than a ‘happily ever after’ – although I would love to know what happened next and how Deanna got on.

Overall a really beautiful book – I’m looking forward to reading other novels by Sara Zarr.