"Realistic fiction at its best" praises School Library Journal on this YA novel selected as a National Book Award finalist.

When she is caught in the backseat of a car with her older brother's best friend—Deanna Lambert's teenage life is changed forever. Struggling to overcome the lasting repercussions and the stifling role of "school slut," she longs to escape a life defined by her past. With subtle grace, complicated wisdom and striking emotion, THE STORY OF A GIRL reminds us of our human capacity for resilience, epiphany and redemption.