A Midsummer’s Nightmare

Whitley Johnson has been looking forward to spending the summer after high school graduation hanging out with her divorced father at his condo near the beach, drinking and relaxing. So she is dumbfounded to learn that he has moved to a boring small town and has a new fiancée. Adding insult to injury, Whitley’s future stepbrother, Nathan, turns out to be her one-night stand from a graduation party. “Get to know each other. You’re family now,” advises Whitley’s father. “Yeah,” she thinks. “Family who’ve banged each other.” Despite Whitley’s anger, her bad habits, her feelings of abandonment, and a Facebook group maligning her, she makes close friends over the summer, becomes a role model for her soon-to-be stepsister, and discovers what her father is really like. In her third novel for teens, Keplinger (The DUFF) creates a wonderfully blunt, caustic, and self-possessed heroine in Whitley. While the ending is a bit drawn out, the story’s emotional realism, Whitley’s transformation (and acid narration), and the romance between her and Nathan make for a fiery and engrossing read. Ages 15–up. Agent: Joanna Volpe, Nancy Coffey Literary & Media Representation. (June)