SYNOPSIS:

Torrey Grey is famous. At least, on the internet. Thousands of people watch her popular videos on fashion and beauty. But when Torrey’s sister is killed in an accident — maybe because of Torrey and her videos — Torrey’s perfect world implodes.

Now, strangers online are bashing Torrey. And at her new school, she doesn’t know who to trust. Is queen bee Blair only being sweet because of Torrey’s internet infamy? What about Raylene, who is decidedly unpopular, but seems accepts Torrey for who she is? And then there’s Luis, with his brooding dark eyes, whose family runs the local funeral home. Torrey finds herself drawn to Luis, and his fascinating stories about El dio de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead.

As the Day of the Dead draws near, Torrey will have to really look at her own feelings about death, and life, and everything in between. Can she learn to mourn her sister out of the public eye?

WHY SHOULD YOU CHECK IT OUT?

Cleverly disguised, this one is definitely a bullying book. Torrey suffers from the emotional abuse of online trolls after her sister’s death.  It’s a side of the bullying story that’s really relevent to today’s world.  Another part we like?  That Torrey is all about fashion and make-up, a popular girl, rather than an oft-tormented outcast.  Because really: anyone can be bullied.

A series of still frames from Torrey’s YouTube show her in various states of emotional turmoil on the cover.  Some look like she’s giving a confession, while others have a real sense of being overwhelmed. The tagline, “Pain has never gotten so many hits”, is like a gut-punch.  We know just by that line and those faces that this isn’t going to be pretty.

Donna Cooner is the acclaimed author of SKINNY, which was nominated for YALSA’s Best Fiction for Young Adults and was a 2012 BEA Buzz book!

EARLY REVIEWS SAY…

The story allows readers to reach their own conclusions about the moral choices Torrey confronts without shoving the right decision down their throats. Insightful and absorbing.  (Kirkus Reviews)

In a story about loss, sensationalism, and the double-edged sword of fame… Cooner builds Torrey’s emotional life skillfully and tackles complex moral questions… (Publishers Weekly)

WATCH THE TRAILER

NECESSARY DETAILS

YA Contemporary

Hardcover & ebook,272 pages

Published on August 26th 2014 by Point (ISBN 0545427657)