Lara is having a tough time at home: her dad’s business has gone bust, money is very tight, her parents argue constantly. Sensing her misery the girls at school begin a campaign of bullying that gets progressively nastier. The only bright spot is her new English teacher, young, handsome, on Lara’s side. To her delight, their relationship develops into something other than pupil teacher, a disastrous course for both. If this sounds bleak, it’s anything but. Lara is – as Mr J recognises – smart and funny, a narrator with an extremely appealing voice. Their relationship is sensitively described, and while no-one comes out of it unscathed, it ends on a hopeful note. An impressive debut, this is a book to make you think, with characters that will stay with you after the final page. ~Andrea Reece
Fifteen-year-old Lara finds her soulmate. There's just one problem - he's her teacher. Lara's life is far from perfect, but being an upbeat kind of person she saves her venting for her diary. It's the only place she can let out her true feelings about the family dramas and hideous bullying she has to face every day. And then a shining light comes out of the darkness - the new young and MALE teacher, Mr Jagger. The one person who takes Lara seriously and notices her potential. The one person who is kind to her. The one person who she falls madly and hopelessly in love with. The one person who cannot love her back ...can he?
