Book list
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Seventeen-year-old Olivia is a writer so good she is chosen by popular priest and best-selling author Father Mark to be the recipient of the Emerging Writers High School Fiction prize. In addition to $10,000 and being published, the accolade means she will also have a spot in his university summer fiction seminar. Olivia is elated, and when Father Mark shows real interest in her writing, she feels chosen in all sorts of ways. But having Father Mark's attention is a mixed blessing. Meetings, calls, and text messages begin to take over her life. Olivia doesn't know how to extricate herself or even if she should. Perhaps because there are relatively few scenes between the two, Father Mark sometimes seems more like a caricature than a character. However, Freitas, author of the successful debut The Possibilities of Sainthood (2009), deftly catches the claustrophobia, uncertainty, and self-doubt that come with an obsessive relationship. The interwoven comparisons to Thomas Merton's affair with a young woman add heft to this fast, chilling read.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2010 Booklist

Publishers Weekly
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Can gratitude become a form of entrapment? At what point does affection become obsession? Can a highly respected adult always be trusted? These are some of the weighty questions addressed in PW contributor Freitas's (The Possibilities of Sainthood) emotionally taut second young adult novel, which traces a Catholic teenager's loss of innocence. Olivia is ecstatic when she wins a writing contest sponsored by Fr. Mark Brendan, a renowned novelist. She basks in the attention and compliments the priest lavishes on her, until his demands to meet with him, attend functions, and read his new story become unreasonable, consuming her time and thoughts and tearing her from her friends and family. Her victimization is chillingly evoked through an intimate first-person narrative that expresses her feelings of suffocation ("I am locked in the center of a Father Mark triangle, walls all around me, and him everywhere I turn"). Young women who have found themselves the object of obsession will relate to the protagonist's ordeal and be inspired by her decision to speak out no matter the consequences. Ages 12-up. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Seventeen-year-old Olivia is elated to take a summer fiction seminar at Holy Mary University. She's honored to have famous novelist Father Mark Brendan as her personal mentor--until his attention becomes obsessive. Freitas poignantly conveys Olivia's feelings of confusion and shame and, eventually, her realization that stalking is as criminal as physical assault. Copyright 2010 of The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved.

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Freitas, whose first novel (The Possibilities of Sainthood, 2008) dealt lightly with love and Catholicism, here takes on abusive priests. Fatherless, beautiful 17-year-old Olivia cannot believe her luck when famous author-priest-professor Father Mark takes her under his wing. He never touches her, but Olivia's initial delight soon becomes discomfort as he demands more and more time and attention, using his authority to control Olivia. While a compelling premise, far too much action takes place off-page; Olivia narrates that there were so many meetings and phone calls, but readers rarely see them, distancing any sense of tension or oppression. Moreover, Father Mark's attention is so overtOlivia's friends and boyfriend repeatedly comment on it; he send packages to her at school and leaves letters at her doorthat it is hard to believe no one notices the inappropriateness of his attention, especially given that characters discuss priestly abuse and closing parishes at one point. Icky but ultimately unexciting, this one could have used a little levity or, failing that, some genuine tension. (Fiction. 12 up)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

School Library Journal
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Gr 7 Up-Seventeen-year-old Olivia wins a prestigious award that includes the opportunity to attend a writing workshop at the local Catholic university taught by a successful novelist whom she idolizes. Olivia is thrilled: her dreams of being a writer are becoming a reality. While basking in Father Mark's attention, she becomes uneasy as his actions become more pervasive and possessive. Caught by her awe of him both as an author and a priest, she questions her own discomfort as the emails, texts, and requests for her time and attention leave her confused, secretive, and defensive. Hiding this predicament from her family and friends is further complicated by her attraction to a fellow student. Throughout Olivia's story, Freitas alludes to actual events in 1966 when Catholic priest Thomas Merton fell in love with a student nurse assigned to his care. Freitas has skillfully woven Merton's reflections of his historically documented "gorgeous game" into her fictitious exploration of the effect of stalking, as told through a series of Olivia's writing exercises. A nun helps her realize that she can't and shouldn't have to face this problem alone. With the support of close friends and Sister June, Olivia is able to confront the situation. This novel will resonate with teens who struggle with what appear to be impossible situations and come to terms with the desire to receive attention however unwanted it may be. The message that stalking is not the fault of the victim is especially important.-Barbara M. Moon, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.