A Love Story: Starring My Dead Best Friend by Emily Horner

A Love Story: Starring My Dead Best Friend by Emily Horner
Publisher: Dial
Released: June 10, 2010
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 272
Source: Traveling ARC Tours

*Debut Author Challenge

All Cass Meyer has heard for months is that her best friend Julia has a super secret project she's been working on. When Julia tragically dies in a car accident, her boyfriend and drama friends are determined to bring her project to life - a musical called Totally Sweet Ninja Death Squad. As if losing her best friend isn't hard enough, Cass feels totally out of place with Julia's drama friends. Cass was never really one of the drama people, and now that Julia is gone, she isn't sure if they were ever really her friends in the first place. To make matters worse, Cass finds out Heather Galloway - the girl who made fun of her all throughout middle school - has been cast in the lead role.

All summer, Cass is expected to paint sets and watch as Julia's musical comes to life. When she can no longer stomach watching Heather in Julia's role, Cass decides to go along on the road trip she had originally planned with Julia. She may be on a bike instead of riding shotgun, but Cass is determined to make it to California with Julia - even if it is only her ashes coming along.

Love Story's chapters swap back and forth between then and now. Then being Cass's summer on the road, now being bringing Julia's musical to life. Then and now Cass is not only dealing with normal teenage life, but she must also face the death of her best friend and her questioning sexuality. Love Story is basically a coming-of-age story, but unlike most, it's deeper and sadder and way more satisfying. All of the characters, not just Cass, are so multifaceted - so real that it was impossible to resist being pulled in. I've become a huge fan of GLBT in YA, and this book is definitely a great addition to the genre.