You'd Be Home Now

Emory Ward (aka Emmy) doesn't really know who she is. Her mother, a lawyer whose family is well-off thanks to a textile mill, wants her to be a copy of her older outgoing and successful sister who's away at college. Her father, a doctor, is always working at the hospital. She lost her only best friend, and now she basically babysits her brother since he returned from rehab, making sure he doesn't relapse. Emmy feels invisible at home while at school she's thrust into the spotlight due to a recent tragic car wreck. This makes her a vulnerable target for the handsome boy next door, the star baseball player, who does not have her best interests at heart. This is a book about fear, shame, and the search for strength, not only for oneself but for family. The characters are thoughtfully rendered in this outstanding realistic story.