Room to Breathe

Gr 9 Up–Indy’s high school life is fun, calm, and predictable, in all the best ways. She is good in school, invited to parties, and has a close-knit friend group that includes Beau, her best friend and favorite class-ranking rival. But when Indy’s dad is accused of fraud at his law firm, Indy’s life intensifies in ways she could have never predicted and definitely isn’t prepared for. Trying to protect her father and her family’s reputation, Indy retreats rather than confides in her friend group. Combined with hanging out with a no-pressure make out partner Cody, a reckless guy who would not normally be her type, Indy finds herself misunderstood and alienated from her friends, in trouble at school, and frustrated with her parents—and then Indy gets locked in the teacher’s bathroom overnight with Beau. Despite the recent rift between the two friends, and despite their strange circumstances, Beau seems ready to reconcile. He also seems ready to take their relationship in a new direction: love. Told as a split time narrative, flashing back and forth between the events leading up to being locked in the bathroom and being in the bathroom, West’s romance is a light, quick read, even though it is about high stakes problems, including legal troubles, academic integrity, and feelings of isolation. Indy’s situation seems impossible, but readers can feel secure that she has a safety net.