Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses substance abuse and overdose.

Emory Ward is the 16-year-old protagonist of the novel who lives in the town of Mill Haven with her wealthy, influential family. Throughout the story, she undergoes a transformation as she wrestles with family conflict, peer pressure, grief, guilt, loneliness, low self-esteem, her emerging sexuality, and substance abuse. As Emory grows and learns from her experience, she questions the norms and values of her family and town, which is plagued by The Ripple Effects of Addiction in Families and Communities. Emory feels invisible and overlooked by everyone, especially her parents, who are more concerned with her older brother Joey’s drug addiction and recovering the status quo. Emory states, “[s]ometimes I feel like I don’t exist in this house because I’m not beautiful and loud, like Maddie, or a problem, like Joey. I’m just me. The good one” (11). This establishes the central internal conflict that she overcomes throughout the novel.

Haunted by the car accident that killed classmate Candy MontClair and exposed Joey’s addiction to the entire town, Emory struggles to cope with the aftermath of the tragedy, especially since her parents refuse to discuss it.