I'll Stay

College senior Clare Michaels is on a spring break trip with three other young women, including her best friend, Lee. When they find themselves in a dangerous situation, Lee sacrifices herself to allow Clare to escape, and she is beaten and sexually assaulted. Set at several points throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, the book tracks Clare's life, focusing on the effect of that night on her friendship with Lee, as well as her complicated relationship with her self-absorbed mother, a famous author. Day has created a nuanced examination of the ways women relate to one another throughout their lives. The lack of understanding between parent and child will speak to teens, but other central elements, such as Clare's workaholic husband and her career struggles, will be less relatable. Readers may become frustrated with Clare's repetitive emotional wallowing and her endless series of obviously bad choices, all of which take place in an era in which they may not be interested.