
A parent might reach for this book when their teen feels lost in the shadow of a sibling, whether due to illness, achievement, or personality. It's for the child struggling to carve out their own identity within their family or an intense friendship. This novel follows seventeen year old Nola, who takes a summer job in Maine to escape being known only as 'the cancer sister'. There, she forms a fast, all consuming friendship that starts to feel suffocating, forcing her to confront who she is on her own terms. It thoughtfully explores resentment, jealousy, co-dependency, and the difficult work of self discovery. It's a perfect choice for validating a teen's complex, sometimes 'ugly' feelings and opening a conversation about healthy boundaries in relationships.
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Sign in to write a reviewProtagonist's resentment and a friend's manipulative behavior are explored with complexity.
Some mild, infrequent language appropriate for the age range.
A sweet, secondary romantic subplot is present but not explicit.
The book deals directly with the emotional fallout of a sibling's life threatening illness (cancer, now in remission). The focus is secular and psychological, centered on the 'well' sibling's guilt, resentment, and identity crisis. The resolution is realistic and hopeful, emphasizing personal growth over a perfect fix. The intense, borderline toxic friendship is also a primary sensitive topic, handled with nuance.
A teen (15-18) who feels overshadowed by a sibling or a friend and is struggling to define their own identity. It's particularly resonant for readers who have experienced a family health crisis or have been in an intense friendship that felt like it was erasing them.
No specific scenes require previewing for graphic content. Parents should be prepared for the book's honest portrayal of Nola's resentment towards her cancer-survivor sister, which challenges simplistic narratives. The book can be read cold, but it's a great catalyst for conversations about healthy friendship boundaries and the complex emotions within families. A parent hears their teen say, "Everyone just thinks of me as [sibling's name]'s sister," or expresses frustration that a friend is copying them. The trigger is a teen's struggle with feeling invisible or consumed by a relationship they also value.
A younger teen (14-15) will likely focus on the plot mechanics: the summer job, the dramatic friendship, and the romantic subplot. An older teen (16-18) will connect more deeply with the thematic core: the psychological weight of Nola's past, the subtle toxicity in her friendship with Cricket, and the existential quest for a stable sense of self.
While many YA novels address sibling issues or toxic friendships, this book's strength is its tight, psychological focus on the specific feeling of being an 'emotional understudy'. It masterfully depicts how a co-dependent friendship can feel like a form of identity theft, making it a unique and powerful exploration of selfhood.
Seventeen year old Nola, resentful of being defined by her sister's past cancer diagnosis, takes a summer waitressing job at a resort in Maine. She's determined to create a new identity for herself. She quickly bonds with a charismatic fellow waitress, Cricket, and they become inseparable. But the friendship deepens into something co-dependent and consuming, with Cricket seeming to adopt Nola's personality traits and experiences. Nola must untangle herself from this toxic dynamic to finally discover who she is, separate from both her sister and her friend.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.