The Fall of Grace

February 1, 2018
A teen struggles to explain her investment-manager mother's actions after her mom is accused of fraud.Wealthy high school junior Grace's world collapses when the FBI raids her mom's office in a high-profile investigation. Her mother suffers a stroke and is hospitalized, completely unresponsive. Grace has never known her father, and the backlash against her from her friends, whose families have all invested in her mom's fund, is swift, leaving her alone and afraid. This dramatic novel switches between the time of the raid and several months into the future, as Grace sets out on a clandestine trip to a remote mountaintop in Colorado beloved by her mother and encounters her brooding classmate Sam, who has followed her. While the quick-paced opening will draw readers in and establish Grace as a sympathetic narrator, a predictable opposites-attract romance slows the middle section, as Grace and Sam zigzag lengthily back and forth across their feelings of attraction and distrust. Yet this story also features a satisfyingly unexpected and realistic ending that will likely surprise readers. Both Sam's and Grace's ethnicities are unspecified, establishing the white default: he is described as having dark hair and amber eyes, while Grace has brown hair and eyes.An uneven novel of suspense and romance with a wilderness-survival flair. (Fiction. 14-18)

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February 19, 2018
All that 16-year-old Grace Pierce can think about is the photo of her mother, Janelle, that she plans to submit to a national photography contest. But Grace’s golden life is shattered when her mother is accused of stealing millions from the Family Fund, a hedge fund that she managed. When Janelle is confronted with the charges, she has a stroke and falls into a coma. Grace insists that her mother is innocent, but members of the community, many of whom invested in the Family Fund, think otherwise, and Grace is a convenient target for their ire. Hoping for solace, Grace leaves Phoenix for the mountains of Colorado, but to her chagrin, her brooding classmate, Sam Rivers, whose family lost everything to the scheme, comes along for the ride. On a mountain trail, Grace and Sam must rely on each other to survive, and Grace is forced to confront the question of whether she ever really knew her mother at all. Dominy (Die for You) writes with raw emotion, exploring the impact of revealed family secrets through the lens of a daughter’s fierce love. Although there are no easy answers, Grace’s growing self-acceptance allows the story to end on a hopeful note. Ages 12–up. Agent: Caryn Wiseman, Andrea Brown Literary.

March 1, 2018

Gr 9 Up-A blend of suspense and adventure with a romance thrown in for good measure. Grace is a junior in a Phoenix high school with a keen interest in photography whose comfortable world is quickly turned upside-down when her mother slips into a shock-induced coma after being caught embezzling millions of dollars. Now, instead of focusing her lens on the outside world, Grace looks inward while in search of clues about who her mother really was-and hopefully finding a stash of money she didn't spend. After failing to find answers at home, Grace embarks on a journey to her mother's vacation spot in Colorado. The narrative jumps back and forth between the present and flashbacks, which can be confusing. This suburban rich girl conquers her fears during a night on the side of a mountain, making this a story of soul-searching, self-discovery, and eventual maturity. This contemporary realistic/dramatic novel is easy reading with plenty of dialogue to keep the plot moving forward. It is a sad and depressing book without a redeeming ending that readers might be expecting. Life goes on, almost too realistically. Readers might not have enough empathy for what they see as a rich teenager who discovers the real world beyond her comfortable means, but might be compelled to have a change of heart for the protagonist after her difficult trials. VERDICT Recommended for large collections serving teens.-Seth Herchenbach, Richmond Burton Community High School, IL

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