Fans of Wittlinger's Hard Love will be thrilled to know that she has continued the tale of Marisol and Gio in this recent publication. The focus has shifted from Gio as Marisol becomes the narrator. Marisol has now graduated from high school and is taking a year off from college to write a novel.

While she has opted to still live in Cambridge, Marisol has decided to move out of her parent's house and live with her good friend, Birdie. He is a slightly hyperactive guy who has been her friend since they were really young. She is hoping that living with him will bring about some calm, but that is not proving to be the case as he starts to bring every sad case home, from cats to dogs to his new boyfriend.

Besides spending time working at a local cafe to bring in some much needed money, Marisol has opted to take a writing course. It ends up being taught by Olivia, a Harvard graduate with a career of writing a number of short stories. It does not take long for Marisol to not only get a crush on Olivia, but to find herself falling in love with her. Surprisingly, Olivia starts to return the interest and they start a whirlwind secret relationship. Unfortunately, Marisol finds herself in a relationship with a jealous and hot-tempered woman.

In contrast, Marisol has met Lee while working her job in the cafe. Lee has been coming in every afternoon and has a cup of tea. As Marisol and her start talking, Marisol learns that Lee has basically been kicked out of her house in Indiana after she came out to her parents. Lee came to Cambridge to live with her sister, a recent Harvard graduate. The two girls form a strong friendship as Marisol finds herself being a mentor. Unfortunately, the relationship will be tested as their roles aren't what one of them wishes they could be.

I found myself really being drawn back into the stories of Marisol and Gio. It was nice getting her perspective on events, particularly since she has always been a paragon of truth. As she finds herself drawn deeper into the confusions involved with her relationships with Lee and Olivia, she finds that she must sacrifice the truth to try to salvage things.

As with most of Wittlinger's books, the characters are honest and realistic as they face a number of specific challenges that are not uncommon in the world of today's teens. Marisol is an out and proud lesbian who just wants to find her first love. She quickly learns that love is not as easy as everyone hopes it will be.

Marisol is definitely a spicy and sassy character. That means she comes across as a little harsh to those around her, but it fits with her character. On an interesting aside, I kept picturing Vanessa from the show Gossip Girl in the role of Marisol as I was reading it. I am not sure why, though!

This really is a must read for fans of Hard Love.