If You Only Knew

Gr 9 Up–Tessa comes home to find a group of teenagers trashing her father’s garage. When she falls while trying to scare them off, one of them, Corey, stops running away to make sure she’s okay, and returns the next day to attempt to make amends. He’s just out of jail and wants to leave his old life behind, but to keep his mother and brother safe, must continue to follow orders. But that doesn’t mean he can’t try to undo some of the harm the gang inflicted. Apologizing to Tessa and her father is the first step, and Corey also offers to do community service and odd jobs around Tessa’s home. But the more he works with Tessa, the closer they get. Tessa has a secret, and it seems as if helping Corey work through his guilt may assuage her own, but they both have pasts. The more things heat up between the teens, the more the past will come to haunt them. The mysteries behind Tessa’s secret and what Corey’s gang is really up to will keep readers engaged, but the characterizations are what sell this novel. Pickett portrays how Tessa’s guilt affects all aspects of her life, and how Corey’s drive to be better than his past and do what’s right for his family is clear in every decision he makes.