Lessons from a Dead Girl

If I had to make a list of books that I would highly recommend to anybody, regardless of the age, this would be one of those. And if I had to make another list of books that made an impact that stayed long after I read them, this would most definitely be part of that.

Synopsis: Leah and Laney were best friends since childhood. During the younger years of their friendship, Leah would sexually abuse Lainey to "practice." As they both get older, Lainey starts to wonder more about Leah's real intentions. Feeling betrayed and hurt by her actions in the past, Lainey pulls away from their relationship, which causes Leah to become self-destructive.
Now, Leah Greene is dead. Will Lainey ever find the will to find Leah's reasons and understand them? And along the way, will she ever find a way to forgive her and to forgive, ultimately, herself?

Review: This is a young adult book, but like I said, I highly recommend this to anyone, no matter how old you are.

This story really made me reflect a lot after almost every chapter that I finish. It's not that often that I do that. But this one really made that kind of impact. The theme of abuse comes up often in a lot of novels, but it's rare that the people involved are 1) in the same gender and 2) are even close friends. This was a different nature of friendship and children, showing the destructive side of it.
I can't dwell on it more and talk about how much I liked the book, I just think you should read it. It is not only a page-turner and a fast read, it also deals with a very important issue, often overlooked by many.
Written with clarity and compassion, this is a heart breaking story of betrayal, forgiveness, and growth between friends; neither of them protagonists nor antagonists. Because at the end of the day, we all are somewhat of both after all.