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About NOT anything

240 pages | ISBN 9780425219287 | Berkley Books

A powerful debut novel about a girl living a not-so-glamorous life in a city that's all about glamour.

It always sounds way more glamorous than it is when Susie Shannon tells people that she's from Miami. But Miami's not all sunshine and hotties. It's endless zip codes and mega high schools where, if someone lost anything-including themselves-they just might not find it again...

Not that Susie ever lost herself. No way. Ever since her mom died, she made sure to keep her world safe. With no boyfriend, an increasingly MIA best friend, and a dad who couldn't pick her out of lineup to save his life, she somehow managed to stay okay.

Then she met Danny Diaz. Danny's is the life that she's destined to change. At least that's what Mr. Murphy said when he begged Susie to tutor Danny. She doubts that she could change anyone's life, but what if Mr. Murphy's right? Or better yet, what if Danny is destined to change hers?

Listen to an excerpt.

"[Rodrigues] also doesn't appear to have forgotten one instant of high school. It all comes back, painfully: Driver's ed. The well-meaning but dorky teachers. The dorky but nasty teachers. The cliques. The jealousies. The gossip. Reading this book, I felt my pimples popping out all over again...Not Anything does an almost creepily good job of re-creating what high school and adolescence felt like. I suspect a lot of young readers will feel more than a slight shock of recognition."  ~ Ben Steelman, Wilmington Star-News"

With her debut novel, Carmen Rodrigues crafts a successful story of a girl lost in a world she thought she knew, only to figure out that she needed a little push, a little strength, to overcome her obstacles... Beautifully written, NOT anything is just the beginning of something special." ~ Randstostipher Nguyen, Teensreadtoo.com