The Foreseeable Future

Gr 10 Up—Audrey doesn't have her life mapped out in front of her. She does know that she's not interested in attending college in her hometown, where her parents work as professors. During the last few weeks of high school, she takes night classes to get her CNA (Certified Nurse Assistant). A boy from school, Seth, helps her get a job on the night shift. One night on a date with Seth, Audrey administers CPR to a girl who collapses on the beach. Unbeknownst to her, someone films it and the video goes viral. Audrey spends the rest of the summer navigating the pressure of Internet fame, dating Seth, working, and figuring out her future. Throughout the course of this contemporary YA, the protagonist figures out her life choices, from college to career and romance, including having sex for the first time, with Seth. The young woman breaks away from parental expectations to achieve happiness on her own terms. This is a realistic and positive portrayal of someone who chooses not to go to college, yet still finds a meaningful career, a scenario not often seen in YA fiction.