In BRAVE NEW GIRL, first time YA novelist Louisa Luna mines familiar territory --- the confusion and alienation of adolescence --- to create a gritty, existentialist tale tinged with hope.

Meet Doreen. She's 14 years old. She worships the music group The Pixies and enjoys hanging out with her best friend Ted. In addition to her raging hormones, she's battling the oppressive pressures of her family and peers. Her dad's domineering; her mom's a fluttering mess; her "perfect" sister primps and preens while endlessly criticizing Doreen's flannel shirts and lack of fashion sense; and the kids at school put her down for not fitting in. Everyone wants her to be someone she's not, but Doreen just wants to be Doreen...whoever that may be.

She takes solace in two things: (1) Her best friend Ted, who's as downtrodden as she is, and (2) the thought that her older brother Henry may be out there somewhere, missing her. Doreen's father kicked Henry out when she was only four, and her memories of him are vague at best --- although she clings to the hope that he can save her nonetheless.

Enter her sister's handsome 21-year-old boyfriend who takes a preternatural interest in Doreen. She's bowled over by his good looks and seeming approval of her --- the only approval she's experienced in a long time. Tragically, it is not long before he preys on Doreen's vulnerability and soon has his way with her, bringing her world crashing down around her. Ultimately, though, Doreen's ability to stay true to herself forces her dysfunctional and troubled family to face the truth and forge a stronger, more forgiving unit.

  --- Reviewed by Tammy L. Currier

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