Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters

An incoming high school freshman is ready to conquer and leave her mark on the world— but unfortunately for her, things don’t go exactly as planned.

“Encompasses all the horrors and thrills of starting high school.”—Booklist

“Cute and sassy, open-minded and truthful.”—E. Lockhart, #1 New York Times bestselling author of We Were Liars

So let’s say you’re fourteen and live in New York City. (Well, technically you live in Park Slope, Brooklyn, which is very close to and almost just like Manhattan . . . except not.) You’d think your life would be like a glamorous TV show, right? And yet . . .

You don’t have a checking account, much less a personal Black American Express Card. No fake ID, either—not that you’d pass for twenty-one in a million years, even if you did. The only couture in your closet is a Halloween costume your mom made out of an old laundry bag when you were eleven. You’ve never been to a club or had a drink served in a martini glass or, frankly, done anything really NYC-ish at all.

You definitely don’t have any secret powers, or friends who are vampires, or magical weapons stored in your parents’ basement. You’re about as normal and totally boring as a human being living in the most exciting city on the planet could possibly be. In other words? You’re me: Kelsey Finkelstein.

But don’t despair, people—I’m starting high school in less than a week! This is going to be the year that I live up to all of my untapped potential—finally. I have to say . . . I’m feeling almost optimistic.