500 Words or Less

High-school senior Nic Chen laments with her boyfriend's best friend over the theatrics of their overly indulgent, yet lonely personal lives. However, they end up taking it too far and jeopardize Nic's relationship with her boyfriend. Now saddled with the label of a woman scorned for her senior year, Nic seeks to redefine her status. This search for a redefinition leads her to write college entrance exams for her Ivy League obsessed peers. The process clarifies the muddy waters of her past to help Nic solidify her identity, just before the sudden death of her old boyfriend weeks before graduation. This coming-of-age novel, written in verse, flows freely, leading readers along and inviting them to contemplate their own self-discovery and identity. The novel provides discussion points on the psychology of senioritis which could be explored and discussed in the context of preparing teens for the future. Certainly, this is a novel containing deep themes that many readers will relate to. Get ready to not put this title down!