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Reviewed byKate Pavao
Samantha's father is an alcoholic and her mother is in denial. Sam doesn't want her friends to know what's happening in her house, so she starts leaving notes for a stranger in the library -- and getting answers. Problems escalate at home and at school, making her mysterious adviser finally reveal himself.

Is It Any Good?

3

It should be apparent from the title: LUSH deals with alcoholism. As such, it is a pretty typical problem novel with a pretty standard story arc. Readers won't be surprised when Sam's father finally hits rock bottom (though his violent attack on her sweet young brother seems over the top). Nor will they be shocked when her family finally begins to heal at the end of the book.

Author Natasha Friend employs a clever device in the letters that Sam exchanges with a mysterious stranger in the library -- though readers may wish it were flushed out a bit more. Friend also creates tender exchanges between Sam and her parents, and her brother. In the end, Friend treads familiar territory here, but her honest depictions of a struggling family may help readers (and their parents) delve into a touchy topic.

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