In this young adult novel friends Kit and Liza have been looking forward to this trip forever.
Five girls, five tickets overseas. It's exactly what they all need after the final slog of high school. But when Kit is suddenly forced to drop out, Liza's left with three girls she barely knows.
There's Mai, committed only to partying. There's Tam, who already has her doubts about leaving her sick father behind. And there's Olivia, so miserable about screwing up exams she's not even sure she wants to get out of bed, let alone on a plane.
All Liza wants from this trip is to discover a new version of herself. She just hadn't planned on doing it without Kit by her side.
And they're all learning that travel isn't just about the places you go, but about who you're with at the time.
In this sequel to Future Leaders of Nowhere, Finn and Willa come home from camp to find everything is different. Even as they grow more sure of their feelings for each other, everything around them feels less certain.
When Finn gets involved in a new community project, she's forced to question where her priorities lie at school. Meanwhile, her dad has moved interstate, her mother is miserable, and her home feels like a ghost town.
Willa's discovering how to navigate the terrains of romance and new school friendships when an accident at home reminds her just how tenuous her family situation is. Suddenly, even with her dad in town, she's shouldering more responsibility than ever.
As they try to navigate these new worlds together, Finn's learning she has to figure out what she wants, and Willa how to ask for what she needs.
Contains mature themes.
Finn's solid. Not in body, but in being. She's gravity and kindness and all those good things that anchor.
Willa's confusing. Sometimes she's this sweet, sensitive soul. Other times she's like a flaming arrow you hope isn't coming for you.
Finn and Willa have been picked as team leaders in the future leader camp game. The usually confident Finn doesn't know what's throwing her more, the fact she's leading a team of highly unenthusiastic overachievers or coming up against fierce, competitive Willa. And Willa doesn't know which is harder, leaving her responsibilities behind to pursue her goals or opening up to someone.
Soon they both realize that the hardest thing of all is balancing their clashing ideals with their unexpected connection. And finding a way to win, of course.
Contains mature themes.