Placebo Junkies

Gr 10 Up—Audie and her friends are professional lab rats, guinea pigs who "volunteer" for numerous pharmaceutical drug trials as a way to get quick cash. They have the system down—Audie's roommate Charlotte even has a list of ways to fake drug trial results, if need be. Audie is willing to endure a plethora of treatments, because she wants to finance a trip for her cancer-ridden boyfriend Dylan—the only one who understands and loves her despite everything. However, as the pills wear away at her body and mind, Audie's sense of reality becomes totally distorted, until she can no longer distinguish truth from fiction. With its short, fast-paced chapters filled with raw language and graphic details, this title is a departure from Carlson's previous, CIA-themed The Tyrant's Daughter (Knopf, 2014), although, as with spy stories, her new novel has both suspense and a convoluted plot. Even at the novel's conclusion, readers cannot be totally sure that what appears to be is real, a challenge that is sure to appeal to high school readers. Audie's blog entries will keep teens' interest, and her first-person narrative reinforces the personal pull of the story. Audie's character is well-drawn and totally believable, immersing readers in her world and, hopefully, opening the door to an ethical discussion about current mental health issues. Strong language and graphic descriptions of medical procedures might be problematic for libraries with a restricted collection policy.