A coming-of-age, dark comedy, set in suburban London. Plunge into the mind of Amelia, a desperately average, desperately miserable teenager, on an inadvertent quest for self-fulfilment. For her, life is about breaking free, and she believes new friends are just the impetus. But can they really help her achieve what she wants?
Amelia lives alone with her drunk, widowed father. She is a teenager bored with life. Seeking liberation, she takes the opportunity to hang out with the Grungers, a group of boys with a notorious reputation at her school. She joins Hector, Ali, Simon, Limpitt and Jerk to their secret lair in the woods, and is introduced to a world of smoking weed, drinking and partying. During this time she begins to slip away from her disagreeable (yet only) friend Imogen. Her new friendships come at a cost, and her hunger for sin begins to consume her. Unable to trust those she has rejected and blind to the danger she has put herself in, Amelia’s life spirals out of control. Can she discover who is truly looking out for her before it’s too late?
Dedication:
This book is dedicated to Immy, for being a real friend. Special thanks go to Tom Rickman, for spurring me on to finish when I had too often put my idea on the back burner. Thanks also to Becky Speake and Sarah Spiers for their continued support and enthusiasm, Duncan Walker and Albert Bentall for giving me such inspiration, and Oscar Gränse for bringing my characters to life via his wonderful cover design.