Sorta Like a Rock Star

Amber Appleton is homeless, living on a school bus with her mom and their dog, but she refuses to let that define her. She volunteers at a nursing home, teaches English to Korean women at her church, and mentors a boy with Down syndrome — radiating optimism even when most people would crumble. Matthew Quick writes her with such heart that you believe in her relentless positivity, even as you see the cracks forming. Then tragedy strikes, and Amber's carefully constructed world shatters. This is a book about what happens when the girl who lifts everyone else finally falls. It's raw, real, and surprisingly hopeful without being preachy. Quick captures teenage voice perfectly — Amber's narration crackles with energy and slang that somehow never feels dated. For anyone who's ever needed to believe that kindness matters, even when life is brutally unfair.