Synopsis: Jennifer Harris is a fat, self-loathing, lonely 9 year old girl whose only friend is the other class outcast, Cameron Quick. When Cameron disappears without even a good-bye, Jennifer feels as if she has lost the only person who will ever understand her. Now, Jennifer is 17, and she has transformed herself into a pretty, thin, popular, dating Jenna Vaughn with no one knowing about her past self. And then, Cameron returns.
Review: I think whether you like this novel will depend on whether you are a glass half-empty or a glass half-full sort of person. If you are the glass half-empty sort, you'll love this novel for all of it's drama and angst. Jenna has been thinking about this one sad and scary event that happened at Cameron's house on her 9th birthday. She never tells anyone what happened that day, but it has defined her whole life. It's what made her turn into Jenna who, while fabulous on the surface, is a distant, 
cold teen who never talks to her Mom, step-Dad or friends about anything important. She lives her life as if no one but Cameron will ever care to listen to her thoughts and feelings. Even at 9 she is quick to dismiss her mother. "She said not to worry, I still had her. As if having her had anything to do with anything. I'd always had her, I wanted to say, and what good had it done me?" Sure, Jenna's Mom may have rose colored glasses on when it comes to recognizing that Jenna might need more than the occasional hug or meal cooked for her, but Jenna also uses this to her advantage. She doesn't really want to be noticed for who she is. She'd much rather fly under the radar when it comes to dealing with her emotions.
If you are a glass half-full sort like myself, you might find Jenna's character to be a bit of internal cry baby. The event that takes place at Cameron's house on her 9th birthday is frightening, but it's kind of a non-event for Jenna. She's the one who is brave and clever and manages to get both her and Cameron out of the situation. She gets to go home. It's Cameron that has to deal with the fallout. I found it hard to believe that this one event could so totally define her in a negative way. I know that certainly Cameron disappearing so soon after this event adds a greater sadness to it, but she's the hero in the story. Can't she see that on that day she saved Cameron? She saved him when no one else had ever done so. It's why 8 years later he decides that he needs to see her again.
I will say that Zarr's portrait of high school life is pretty darn accurate or at least, as I can remember. There is Steph, the pretty, popular girl, who is not as shallow as you might think. Ethan, the less than sensitive boyfriend, but not quite a total jerk. Katy, the jealous, insecure friend, who you want to smack upside the head. And Freshman Dave, shy and unassuming now, but wait until he gets to be a senior.
There are many readers who will identify completely with Jenna and her emotional relationship with Cameron, but for those readers who don't or didn't spend their high school years letting one event color the entire experience, Jenna might be a bit too melancholy for their liking.
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