Keep Holding On by Susane Colasanti

I received Keep Holding On by Susane Colasanti from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. I had heard of Colasanti before, but this is the first of her books that I've read. It won't be the last!

Noelle is at the very bottom of the high school social ladder. Caught between bullying at school and a miserable home life, it's no wonder that her self-esteem is at an all-time low. When the cute boy she's been secretly attracted to starts paying attention to her, Noelle is sure that she doesn't "deserve" anything good in her life. However, through a series of events that unfolds over the course of the novel, Noelle finds that she has both inner strength and the support of friends that she needs in order to Keep Holding On.

This story struck a chord with me. Like Noelle, I was the target of bullies in my school years. In an Author's Note at the beginning of the book, Colasanti reveals that she, too, suffered through hard times in high school. The tone of that note, and the entire book, is ultimately hopeful.

(Reviewed from an advance copy sent to me by the publisher, through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.)