Book excerpt: ★ “Tender, amazingly hopeful . . . vibrant and heartbreaking.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review This deeply felt, redemptive novel reveals the story of two teens whose lives intersect in unexpected ways that explose them to both the dark corners and hidden joys of life’s journey–and the remarkable resilience of the human soul. Meet Jordy. He’s on his own in New York City. Nobody to depend on; nobody depending on him. And it’s been working fine. Until this girl comes along. She’s 18 and blond and pretty–her world should be perfect. But she’s seen things no one should ever see in their whole life–the kind of things that break a person. She doesn’t seem broken, though. She seems . . . innocent. Like she doesn’t know a whole lot. Only sometimes she does. The one thing she knows for sure is that the world is an ugly place. Now her life may depend on Jordy proving her wrong. So they hit the road to discover the truth–and there’s no going back from what they find out.