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Tangled
Tangled
Tangled
Ebook239 pages3 hours

Tangled

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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About this ebook

Paradise wasn't supposed to suck.

Not the state of being, but a resort in the Caribbean.

Jena, Dakota, Skye, and Owen are all there for different reasons, but at Paradise their lives become tangled together in ways none of them can predict. Paradise will change them all.

It will change Jena, whose first brush with romance takes her that much closer to having a life, and not just reading about those infinitely cooler and more exciting.

It will change Dakota, who needs the devastating truth about his past to make him realize that he doesn't have to be a jerk just because people think he's one.

It will change Skye, a heartbreakingly beautiful actress, who must come to terms with the fact that for once she has to stop playing a role or face the consequences.

And it will change Owen, who has never risked anything before and who will take the leap from his online life to a real one all because of a girl he met at Paradise. . . .

From confused to confident and back again, one thing's certain: Four months after it all begins, none of them will ever be the same.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperCollins
Release dateDec 29, 2009
ISBN9780061992063
Tangled
Author

Carolyn Mackler

Carolyn Mackler is the author of the award-winning teen novels The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things, a Michael L. Printz Honor Book; The Future of Us, coauthored with Jay Asher; Tangled; Love and Other Four-Letter Words; Vegan Virgin Valentine; and Guyaholic. She lives in New York City with her husband and two sons.

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Reviews for Tangled

Rating: 3.458715467889909 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

109 ratings16 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Carolyn Mackler does it again in this compulsively readable novel about four teens whose lives become connected after a spring vacation at a Caribbean resort. Jena, Dakota, Skye, and Owen each have their own issues and when their lives briefly touch at Paradise resort, they have no idea how it'll effect their real lives. I found each switch to a new narrator slightly jarring, but I quickly came to love each of them. I'd quickly hand this to fans of Sarah Dessen and Elizabeth Scott. Fans of Carolyn Mackler's previous books will eat it up and Tangled will inspire new fans to pick up her other books as well. (A more thorough review will appear on my blog close to the pub date.)
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    boring.,
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I loved how every few chapters changed perspectives from one of the characters that met in the Caribean. There lives intertwine and keep you turing pages. I could not put this book down, I was up all night reading!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This story was a lot different than I expected, both in good ways and bad. I felt like the book jacket summary made it sound like Paradise was the setting for the story, though only Jena's bit took place there. I also felt like the POV kept switching just as stuff was getting good and deep for a character. Specifically Skye, who I had just started to like, and then Poof! It's on to another character. I would have liked more first-hand telling of people's lives, because it sounded awkward for Owen to explain how Jena knew Dakota, and for Jena to explain what happened to Skye to Owen in his section. I don't know, it was on the verge of being a really great story, but it felt really choppy.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This was not one of my favorite books, but I don't regret reading it. I like how all of the characters told things from their perspective and about how they all got tangled together. 3/5 ES I chose this book because a friend recommended it to me. AG
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Scratching another book off my own tbr pile, this book took me by surprise.1. Point of views. This story contain four short point of views of big changes in their lives. Some changes are good while other are good. It’s clear that in the end, they all learn a lesson.2. Graphic. Since this is YA book I didn’t expect it to be so graphic. Still it had some adult humor in it that made me snicker.3. Tangled. Just like the title, all of their lives crash violently together to come together for something bigger. They all have a part of each other lives that needed to weave so that they can grow and learn.4. Taking chances. It clears that all of these teens live hard, fast lives. Taking chances on bad things, they all had to learn to take a chance on something good for once. Even if it means making drastic changes.5. More. At the end of the story, it came together so wonderfully that I wanted more. I loved Jena’s story and I’m glad that she got a happy ending. I’m still interested in learning what happens to the rest of the characters.Tangled is great book. Raw and exciting, I can’t wait to read more by this author. A great summer read that will leave you wanting more, Tangled is daring.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    another group of real, likeable, struggling teens who cross paths during a vacation in the Caribbean; I like the interweaving of the plot with the technique of each telling their own story
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I thought this was a pretty average book. Nothing was surprising or unique. I liked the characters alright, especially Owen. When he was the narrator, I thought he felt authentic... like a real awkward teen. I thought their lives would be more "tangled" but in reality they all just happened to be at the same resort at the same time. Pretty average book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I liked this book, and I loved the concept.The overall structure is much like that of [b:The House on Fortune Street], 4 overlapping short stories, each focusing on a different character.Each story gives us a portrait of a character, with only that character fully fleshed out. The other characters are seen only through the eyes of that teen. And yes, each teen is on the self-centered side when telling their own story. I liked Jena, the bookworm that's stuck on what should be a dream vacation, but it doesn't quite deliver on that promise. She doesn't get along with her mom's best friend's daughter, Skye, a beautiful, stuck up actress. Then Jena meets Dakota. Jena's first romance is the highlight of the trip-- except that he turns out to be a jerk.And this is when the story changes-- a month later and Dakota's turn. And yes, Dakota really and truly is a jerk (bparticularly to his brother, Owen), and during this story he starts to realize it, and think maybe he should do something about it.Before we see where Dakota takes these thoughts, we move on to Skye. Skye isn't as stuck up as she seems to Jena, and she's having a hard time with her outwardly perfect life. It was fun to come back and see here view of Jena, since I felt I knew Jena from her chapter. Skye doesn't give Jena enough credit, either. And now Jena knows Skye's secret.Owen's chapter closes the book, tying up the loose ends. Owen lives on the computer. He's got a blog where he talks about the ins and outs of daily life as a teen. Jena's sighting of Owen on the vacation that started up piques her curiosity, and the two of them get to know each other on-line. Owen steps out into the real world for a non-computer related adverture, and all four stories are wrapped up nicely.Intertwined might be a better title than tangled, since the strings linking the stories are fairly straightforward. All in all, this was an enjoyable read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Tangled is a book with 4 different point of views, each one connecting to a spring break vacation at the Caribbean. It shows the life of four different teenagers, each with their own distinct voice. So in a whole, I enjoyed reading this book. Jena tells the story of the vacation so it was slow at times. She is a bubbly girl who likes quotes and keeps a 'book of everything' in it. It reminds me of moleskines. Although she did bug me at times in the beginning because she was whiny, I grew to like her as she eventually changed as a character throughout the different perspectives. So, she's a character that you can relate to easily. Dakota, in general, was a very difficult character. Despite this, he was one of my favorite characters to read from in this book. You'd find him very difficult from his attitude and behavior, but as you read further, find that there is more to him than that and it shows more character to him once you discover what he is going through and his changes as a character. Skye at first, when you see her, is a cold character. From Jena, she thinks that Skye has a perfect life, although it's completely opposite from that. Once you get to her part in June, you understand why. She has problems that are difficult to deal with, especially with her acting career, and her mother. She is a very complex character whose story was one of the most unique. Owen was my favorite to read from. His is the last part of the book, so you see what happened to each and every character from him. His mom sends him to a camp for Facebook addicts, and it is certainly amusing.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    In Tangled, we meet four teens whose stories start on vacation in the Caribbean, their mothers having dragged them there for various reasons. Jena tells us what the trip was like from her perspective in April. Dakota, the gorgeous but troubled boy she fell for on the trip, continues the story in May when they all return home. Skye, the beautiful teen actress whose life Jena thinks is perfect, demonstrates that appearances can be deceiving in June. Owen, Dakota's weaker younger brother, completes the story in July, when his mother sends him away to a camp to teach him to socialize. Each character develops during his or her brief section, and readers will want to know how their lives intertwine.The book started out slowly for me in Jena's chapters, but picked up in pace and intensity as it continued through Skye and Owen's sections.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    In theory, this is the kind of book I dream about. It explores the connections between people that they aren’t fully aware of, and I love that idea. However, this book fell a little bit short of my expectations for it. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy it, but it definitely didn’t captivate me like I thought it would.Let me first say that it was so refreshing to read a book in which some of the main characters were average. Jena and Owen weren’t knockout gorgeous, but neither were they grotesque; they weren’t particularly witty and clever, but they weren’t dull. They were run-of-the-mill teenagers, living life with a small number of good friends and a lot of people who just don’t get them. To me, that’s real, and I applaud Mackler for focusing on those of us who are “normal”, and making it work (because that’s kinda hard to do).I did enjoy focusing a section of the book on each of the four characters, though I’ll admit that I found it disorienting at the beginning of each section. While I liked watching the characters grow, I found Dakota’s to be a little too quick and easy. I do think that he would eventually come to the place where he ended up, but it seemed to be a bit too soon for him. I almost felt that he hadn’t grappled enough with what he learned. I can concede that it’s possible there was struggling that wasn’t on-page, but I would have bought into his transformation if I’d been able to see some of that.Because each character had a distinct voice, it was fairly easy to figure out early on in each narrative who the character was. Mackler did a tremendous job with the characterization of both girls, moving Jena from annoyingly whiny and Skye from annoyingly snooty first impressions. Both of them had to go through some pretty disappointing experiences in order to come to a deeper understanding of their true selves. I was left with the impression that they had made permanent, measureable growth by the last page.I’m not sure exactly what it was about the story, but I closed the book feeling rather indifferent about it. It wasn’t bad, but I wasn’t particularly drawn to it, either. It was okay. I think it lacked the emotional intensity I had wanted to get out of the story, so even though I liked where the characters ended up, I felt a little let down at the same time.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Spring has sprung and in just 4 short months, 4 teenage lives will change.Jena is the bubbly Jewish girl with lots of curves. She loves quotes and will learn a lot on a spring break trip to Paradise. Skye is an actress, curly dark hair, body of a goddess and a lot more problems than is willing to tell everyone. That is until she learns a little about her father and everything starts to make sense.Now to the boys. Dakota is having some major teen drama. He may look like a heart throb, but a broken heart and a death have put him in a dark place where he isn’t really thinking with his head or heart if you know what I mean. His complete opposite brother Owen is backwards to say the least. He hides behind his blog, Loser on a Laptop, because he doesn’t feel comfortable expressing himself in the flesh.The lives of these four are about to change. From lust to love to death and suicide, I am glad to not be a teenager in this book.I have been adoring the cover of this since I first saw it and at the book sale over the weekend, I saw it on the shelf, brand-new and beautiful. Even though I bought 15 books, I had to grab this one as well.Mackler brings us a quick read, I read it in less than 24 hours. She did a great job of making me remember what it felt like to be a teen, in the midst of high school relationships and learning about myself.She starts with Jena and each quarter of the book is told from a different character. I love how the writing changed to match the personality and life of each character. But I feel like I was just getting to know the character when the narrator changed.One thing I didn’t like about this book was although the loose ends were wrapped up, I didn’t feel like I had closure. I guess I was just wanting a little more.I give Tangled 3 stars.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was just what I needed after reading a rather heavy fantasy novel. A lighter tale yet filled with deep issues and conversations, TANGLED provides a moving story about four teenagers, their chance first encounters and the paths their lives take afterwards. You see them grow in ways both hoped for and not, all while watching them come full circle in their relationships with each other. Definitely recommended reading....though for the younger set, I would give a caution as to the language and content (serious issues dealt with and sexual situations as well)....happy reading!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Far from Mackler's best work.The cast:Luce and Paula, moms who have been friends since college.Skye and Jena, daughters, respectively of above moms, who don't like each other all that much. Skye is an actress/model and drop-dead gorgeous. Jena has curves, if you catch my drift.Dakota and Owen, brothers, unrelated to above characters. Their parents are divorced and Dakota lives with their father and Owen with their mother.The four women take a vacation to Paradise in the Caribbean. The brothers are there with their mother. Jena and Dakota hook up. However, he's a player and drops Jena for Skye.Owen is a blogger, spending most of his time in front of the computer. He's blogging on vacation and Jena notices the name of his blog. She starts commenting, after they return home. That's enough of the set-up...too much actually.The book has four sections: April-Jena, May-Dakota, June-Skye, July-Owen. It runs through each person's insecurities, changes in their behavior as a result of some event and their road to ultimate happiness. Unfortunately, while the characters were somewhat fleshed out, the story was not all that compelling. I expected a whole lot more from Ms. Mackler.The book is told in four sections
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A one-week spring break vacation at the Caribbean resort Paradise affects the lives of four very different teenagers. Self-conscious Jena learns which guys are and are not worth it; playboy Dakota begins to realize how much of a misogynistic jerk he’s been; teen actress Skye must come to terms with her past and the fact that it may all be an act for her; and reclusive Owen may at least be ready to come out from behind his computer and meet the girl who’s changed his life.Veteran talent reigns supreme in this intriguing blend of four short stories. Carolyn Mackler shows that she can make any story idea win over her old and new fans with TANGLED.The four teens’ stories interlap only slightly, but remarkably each one is well defined and strong reads in and of themselves. Jena, Dakota, Skye, and Owen are all flawed, yet their flaws are endearing and human instead of the consequences of shoddy writing. As a result, we are easily able to delve into the minds of these four.I was surprised at, but not put off by, how little the four stories were actually interconnected. The first three stories end rather abruptly and incompletely, and it’s not until reading the final story (Owen’s) that we realize how these four characters are supposed to have been affected by one another. The “tangles” are tentative at best, but overall TANGLED is still appealing due to its masterful writing.Longtime Carolyn Mackler fans like me should not hesitate to pick this one up, while those new to Mackler’s works will be able to appreciate her talent. TANGLED is good for a sweet and lighthearted read.

Book preview

Tangled - Carolyn Mackler

APRIL:

JENA’S STORY

one

Paradise sucked until I found the suicide note. And then it didn’t suck at all. It was so good, in fact, that I thought maybe my entire life was finally going to change. And then, that last night, everything tanked. But somehow, over the next few months, my life did begin changing.

That’s jumping way ahead, though.

I should start at the beginning, when my mom told me we were going to Paradise in the first place.

two

It was a typical Wednesday evening in Topeka, New York. Spring break was coming up next week, so I had nine minutes of homework, which I did while IMing my best friends, Ellie and Leora, surfing for celebrity gossip, and sending a virtual plate of snickerdoodles to my brother’s ReaLife page. Then, since I happened to be on ReaLife, I checked out Samir Basu’s online profile. And then, since I have no self-control, I opened every photo on his page and drooled waterfalls over his caramel cheekbones and milk-chocolate eyes. I lust after Samir and, yes, have even fantasized about how we’ll gloriously merge cultures (me: Jewish; him: Indian) for our wedding ceremony. Never mind the trivial fact that when I pass Samir at school he rarely waves at me. Ellie, Leora, and I are still debating whether, during archery on Monday, Samir was coughing up a lugie or saying, I love you forever, Jena Gornik. My best friends, those traitors, went for the mucus. One guess where I cast my vote.

Finally, I closed my future husband’s ReaLife page, grabbed the Froot Loops, and parked in front of the TV. I wasn’t watching a specific show, mostly just using it as background noise as I copied quotes into my everything book. I’m obsessed with quotes. You name the person—Albert Einstein (smart), Toni Morrison (very smart), Nicholas Sparks (pure genius)—and I’ve got one of their sayings. My everything book is a regular blank journal I bought last year. The cover is that famous black-and-white photo of the couple kissing outside Hôtel de Ville in Paris. I once googled the image and was crushed to learn that not only was the kiss staged using models, but the woman later sued the photographer for damages. I did my best to block those facts out.

Mostly I fill my everything book with quotes about love, life, heartbreak, and inspiration. In my sixteen years of life, I’ve had yet to experience love or heartbreak (or even much inspiration), so instead I stockpile other people’s musings about those things. Sometimes I scribble strands of overheard conversations into my book. Now and then I tape in a note someone discarded in the halls of Topeka High School. You’d be surprised what you can find when you’re a trash-picker. Two weeks ago, I scooped up a crumpled Post-it from the locker area outside the band room. Do calc. Practice flute. Get bikini wax for Sat. p.m. When I read that, I was like, What?!! I can guarantee that if I ever have to wax down yonder for some specific event, those other to-dos would fade into oblivion. But since I’m still in the math-and-music-practice stage, I must glean from other people’s exciting lives, and it all goes into my everything book.

Around eleven thirty that Wednesday night, my mom got home. A few times a year, she has a big night out with her college roommate, Luce Wainscott. Luce lives in New York City, an hour and a quarter south of Topeka on the commuter train. Luce is insanely wealthy. When she takes my mom out, they go to an expensive restaurant and Luce orders a bottle of chardonnay and spends more on the appetizers than we probably do on an entire month of groceries. Luce even pays for my mom to take a car service back to Topeka. My mom always tries to split the tab, but Luce is so loaded (Texas oil fortune) it’s a joke that my mom (a first-grade teacher) would plunk down her credit card.

Is Dad sleeping? my mom asked as she flopped onto the couch next to me.

I think so, I said. My dad works at the junior high three towns away and has to wake up by five fifteen every morning. I haven’t heard from him in a while.

My mom kicked off her shoes and hoisted her feet onto the coffee table. So he didn’t tell you?

Tell me what? I asked, vacuum-sucking a fleck of Froot Loops out of my braces.

Where we’re going for spring break, my mom said, smiling.

"Where who’s going?"

My parents had next week off too. But with my brother, David, in college, we didn’t have any extra money for vacations. The whopping plan so far was that I was going to take a bus to Binghamton and spend four days with Grandma Belle. That’s my mom’s mother. We bake kugel and watch the soaps and drive her Buick to every all-you-can-eat buffet in town. My mom is always saying we’re a family of big-boned women, but Grandma Belle calls me luscious. I totally don’t buy it, but she says someday I’ll realize she’s right.

You and me, Jena, my mom said. We’re going to Paradise, a five-star resort in the Caribbean.

The Cari-what?

Before I could question the amount of chardonnay my mom had consumed, she went on to explain how, at dinner tonight, Luce mentioned that she’d reserved an enormous suite at Paradise next week and had tons of extra room and we should tag along. And so my mom whipped out her cell phone and called my dad, who bought the plane tickets and kept it secret from me all evening.

I was speechless. My mom never whips out her cell phone. My dad doesn’t splurge on last-minute plane tickets. I wanted to ask my mom how come we’re in a parallel universe where my life is exciting and my parents are cool. But something else was heavy on my mind.

Is Skye coming? I asked.

Of course, my mom said. That’s the whole point.

The whole point?

Luce and I will get time together and you and Skye can run around and have fun.

For one, I don’t run. Not on a track. Not on a treadmill. And certainly not with Skye Wainscott. Luce’s daughter is seventeen and beautiful and lives in Manhattan and has a gorgeous boyfriend and, to top it off, she has appeared in commercials and on TV shows. Ever since we were little, we’ve been stuck together when our moms hang out. But what the moms don’t understand is that Skye basically ignores me. And so, naturally, I can’t stop babbling around her. That’s what I do when I’m uncomfortable. I feel a compulsive need to fill silent space.

My mom gave me the details of the trip. We’d fly to a small island in the Caribbean this Saturday and return the following Friday. All I could think to say was that my bathing suit from last summer doesn’t fit anymore. My mom handed me her credit card and told me to check out the sales on Lands’ End. Once she’d headed upstairs, I scooped up some cereal and thought about how Paradise could go two ways:

Paradise Won:

Skye and I would bond. She’d finally decide I was worthwhile and I, in turn, would cease my verbal diarrhea. Everything I said would sound suave and sophisticated. We’d go jogging on the beach and meet guys everywhere we went (but since Skye has a boyfriend they’d all be for me), and I’d get a butterscotch tan and my butt would miraculously become toned. By the time I returned to Topeka High, the world would meet a whole new Jena Gornik. I’d no longer be pegged as a B-plus student in a school full of geniuses. The band director would bump me to first-chair clarinet. Samir Basu would shoot his arrow in my direction (metaphorically, of course) and we’d start going out and he’d ask me to the junior prom and I’d no longer be the only sixteen-year-old in Westchester County who’s never been groped. Well, I did kiss a greasy, zit-specked guy at my cousin’s bar mitzvah last year, but I’d really rather not count that one.

Or, more realistically:

Paradise Lost:

Skye would blow me off. My life would remain pathetic.

This is the real world, not a Nora Roberts novel, so I had a sneaking suspicion it’d be option number two. But sometimes, by the flickering glow of the TV screen, it’s nice to dream a little.

three

The thing about walking through an airport with Skye Wainscott is that she’s stunning. She’s tall and willowy with a high forehead, a perfect nose, smooth skin, and long, curly black hair. She was wearing oversized sunglasses, cargo pants, and a delicate shirt that showed off her boobs (which are bigger than mine even though she’s way skinnier. NOT fair.). The iPhone cord dangling out of her pocket topped off her casually perfect ensemble. And then, enter me. My chin had broken out the night before, so I was powdered like a funnel cake. I’d spent fifteen minutes blowing out my hair, and I’d obsessed about my clothes until I came up with an ensemble that seemed chic and urban in my bedroom mirror. But now, under the glaring lights of Kennedy airport, it all felt wrong.

It was a few minutes before seven. We’d just cleared security, and the moms were going in search of coffee. Skye wanted to get magazines for the flight and I was tagging along. I could tell that the guys we passed, plus a handful of women, were checking her out. Maybe they were trying to place her from one of her commercials or shows. I had to wonder what they made of me. Did they think I was Skye’s friend? Unlikely. Did they think I was her sister? No. If we were related, we’d have at least a few genes in common. Did people think I was her maid? Do people even have maids anymore?

When we got to the newsstand, Skye grabbed People and Entertainment Weekly and began thumbing through In Touch. I stood next to her, browsing In Touch even though I get my celebrity dish from the blogs because it’s cheaper and more immediate and, anyway, I was going to attempt to read Dandelion Wine on this plane ride. My brother gave it to me last month. Now that David is an American studies major, he’s always trying to push books that have some greater meaning about our country. When he came home for Passover all he could blabber about was his Cold War Culture course and how if I really wanted to understand the contrasting viewpoints in 1950s America (did I ever say that?) I had to read The Catcher in the Rye alongside Dandelion Wine. I tore through The Catcher in the Rye (and developed a major crush on Holden Caulfield) but have only read the first page of Dandelion Wine. So far, so dull.

Are you reading anything good? I asked Skye.

Mostly just scripts, she said without looking up.

You mean movies? That’s so cool.

Skye glanced at me, one eyebrow raised.

Shut up, Jena, I warned myself.

I’m just saying, I said, "that it’s amazing you get to read movies before they’re actually made. I mean, who else gets to do that?"

Skye pushed a curl back from her face.

Are you doing any interesting projects now? I asked.

Not really. Skye shrugged. Just a lot of auditions.

Anything I’ve heard of? I pressed. Ellie, Leora, and I are obsessed with Skye’s career. Every time Luce tells my mom that Skye is going to be on something, we watch it, even if it’s just a thirty-second commercial. I’d never admit this to Skye, but she’s our big connection to the glamorous world outside of Topeka.

It’s kind of early, you know? Skye said.

For what?

I’m not really in the mood to talk about work.

My cheeks burned in shame. I headed over to the cashier to buy gum, except a Twix bar began calling my name. I could imagine peeling off the caramel with my teeth, crunching hard on the cookie center. I slid the Twix and a pack of Trident across the counter and quickly gave the guy my money before Skye could see that not only do I act like a loser, but I eat like one too.

I ended up flying first class to Paradise.

When Skye and I met up with our moms at the gate, Luce insisted I trade tickets with her so she and my mom could sit together in coach. I looked at my mom like, Is this okay? but she shrugged and didn’t say anything. My mom is weird around Luce. Sometimes it seems like she’s being bossed around.

Skye and I boarded the plane early, with the other elite travelers. As we settled in our smooth leather seats and a flight attendant took our drink orders, I was having a majorly surreal moment. I couldn’t believe I was headed to an island in the Caribbean. I figured I’d have to wait for my honeymoon (my honeymoon with Samir) for something like this. And not only that, but flying first class. For one, we never fly anywhere we could feasibly drive. For two, whenever we have flown, we go coach. As we’re boarding the plane, my dad always wonders (way too loudly) who in their right mind would spend eight times the amount for extra ass room. It’s totally embarrassing, especially since we’re a family who could use the extra ass room.

I can’t believe this, I said as I buckled my seat belt.

Skye was in the window seat, her iPhone on the tray table. Can’t believe what?

First class. The Caribbean. I definitely didn’t think this is how spring break was going to go. I was supposed to visit my grandma in Binghamton and spend my days obsessing about Samir Basu.

Who’s that?

A guy at school. I snorted. My boyfriend in some alternate reality. Definitely not like how you have it with Matt.

Skye fiddled with her diamond-encrusted necklace. I broke up with Matt.

Oh my god! When? Why?

In March, Skye said.

Skye scrolled through her music. She didn’t look the least bit devastated. I was tempted to say Are you INSANE? Skye and Matt had been together for almost two years, so I’d met him at various gatherings and, let me tell you, I wouldn’t dump him if he got herpes, drained my bank account, and stranded me alone with our unborn child. Not that I’m aspiring to be a disease-ridden, broke single mother, but Skye’s ex- (oh my god, ex) boyfriend is the ideal male specimen. Matt is a tousled-hair prep-school boy, a multimillionaire with his own BMW and sailboat (seriously). And he’s friendly, even to me. At Luce’s Fourth of July barbeque last summer, Matt mentioned I should come on his boat sometime. Skye later joked that Matt invites the entire universe aboard his sailboat, but that didn’t stop my ego from getting a serious boost.

The moms passed us on their way to coach.

Hey, girls! they called out.

As soon as they were gone, I turned to Skye. So why did you break up with Matt?

I needed a change.

How did he take it? Is he together with anyone else?

Skye pursed her bee-stung lips. "Why are you so curious?"

Whatever, I muttered, my cheeks flushing again.

Skye stuck in her earphones and settled her head on the pillow. Just before she closed her eyes, she said, He’s not exactly your type, Jena.

My stomach lurched. What she meant was I’m not his type. Duh. It’s not like I don’t know that.

As we taxied toward the runway, I sank back in my seat. I popped a few pieces of gum and opened Dandelion Wine. Skye looked like she was already asleep. The plane took off. I read a few chapters. I have no idea why my brother insisted I read this book, but it was all I had for the plane ride.

Once we reached cruising altitude, I double-checked that Skye was sleeping and then dug around for the Twix bar. I ripped open the paper and downed the whole thing, sucking the caramel out of my braces. As I stuffed the wrapper into my barf bag, I suddenly felt fat and gross. If I had any hope of landing a guy even close to Matt, I was now one Twix bar further from that happening.

four

There were a few minutes, when we first got to Paradise, that I thought maybe this trip was going to be okay after all. Maybe, deep down, I’m an optimist. Or maybe it was the sunlight and the lazily bending palm trees and the sweet scent of flowers in the air. I have this great Nicholas Sparks quote in my everything book. Something about how each day should be spent finding beauty in flowers and poetry and talking to animals. I doubted I’d be chatting up furry, four-legged creatures

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