Freefall by Mindi Scott

Here's a blurb from Ms. Scott's website: How do you come back from the point of no return?

Seth McCoy was the last person to see his best friend Isaac alive, and the first to find him dead. It was just another night, just another party, just another time where Isaac drank too much and passed out on the lawn. Only this time, Isaac didn’t wake up.

Convinced that his own actions led to his friend’s death, Seth is torn between turning his life around . . . or losing himself completely.

Then he meets Rosetta: so beautiful and so different from everything and everyone he’s ever known. But Rosetta has secrets of her own, and Seth will soon realize he isn’t the only one who needs saving . . .

My Take
This is one of the books in The Contemps Challenge.  Grief is a difficult thing to deal with.  Adults grapple with it, but it's even tougher as a teen.  It's difficult to go on with your life and be happy without feeling guilty for doing so sometimes.  Seth McCoy is trying to overcome so much; his feelings of loss, his stage fright, his lack of anyone to talk to, his inability to cope with everything he's mired in.  Rosetta is like a breath of fresh air that blows into Seth's life at just the right moment.

I really enjoyed this book.  It got me to thinking about the process of letting go and letting things happen.  Thinking about the fact that we are also a culmination of our experiences, good or bad that we've encountered in our lives.  Rosetta is smart and funny.  Seth is such a great guy.  He's complex, loyal, and tender but such a regular guy too. 

I love how Seth's determined to carve his own path through life.  Not just letting himself wind up a drop-out in a dead end situation.  It's great he gives IC class a real chance and let it change how he dealt with his own issues too.  I think both guys and girls would love this book.  I'm giving it four big smooches!