The St. Ambrose School for Girls

It’s 1991, and Sarah Taylor has been accepted to the St. Ambrose School for Girls in Greensboro, MA. With her old clothes and her new accessory, a bottle of lithium to treat her recently diagnosed bipolar disorder, she feels horribly different and alone. When Greta, the school’s most popular girl, makes Sarah her target, Sarah finds allies in resident adviser Nick and her roommate Ellen, a rebel in her own right. As Greta’s pranks worsen, Sarah struggles to balance school, the constant bullying, and her fragile mental state. Then a murder occurs, and her world comes apart. Ward, who writes paranormal romance as J.R. Ward and contemporary romance as Jessica Bird, explores a new genre with this gripping coming-of-age story. Narrator Gail Shalan captures the struggles of a teen set apart by factors she cannot control in a place of entrenched social hierarchies. Shalan’s narration ratchets up the tension as malicious pranks turn deadly.