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From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Sixteen going on seventeen isn't so sweet for Colby. In the two years since her mother's death, her father has been on the road driving his big rig in every direction but toward her. She's become increasingly withdrawn and unfocused, and she is edging far too close to failing out of school. And the cherry atop her misery sundae? Her girlfriend, her first love, dumped her for a boy. There are some bright spots, however, including her best friend, Van, and her beloved dog, Mo, both of whom give her the unconditional love she craves. Bigelow effectively shapes a narrative of a girl adrift in her own loneliness. Colby has a suitcase full of issues, and while being closeted is one of them, it's her inability to deal with her frustrated grieving process that poisons every relationship, even one with a new potential girlfriend. Though the book at times meanders the occasional online chat-styled dialogue doesn't help it is a mostly winning and amiable debut.--Jones, Courtney Copyright 2010 Booklist

School Library Journal
(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gr 8 Up-In the two years since her mother died, 16-year-old Colby Bingham has had a life full of heartbreak. Her grades have been slowly slipping, her truck-driver father is never home, and her almost girlfriend dumps her.for a guy. Everything changes when she finds Mo, an injured stray dog that she decides to take care of. With the help of her friend Van, a kind veterinarian named Robyn, and Mo, Colby begins to learn to trust her heart again. So when a new love interest arrives, she has to decide whether to open up or protect herself from being rejected again. The protagonist is a flawed, but realistic, character. Her poor choices are a consequence of hurt and loneliness, and of not knowing how to deal with either emotion. The chat-room-style dialogue at the start of some chapters seems extraneous, but, for the most part, Bigelow does a nice job of portraying an LGBTQ teen trying to find her identity. Overall, this is a solid debut novel.-Kimberly Castle-Alberts, Hudson Library & Historical Society, OH (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.