One Dozen Reasons Why

Claire Thomas hates Valentine’s Day, and it’s not because she’s never had a boyfriend. Every year, the Slinger High student council runs a carnation sale to raise money for the spring dance. Students can order the flowers—red for love, pink for friendship, and white for secret admiration—and have them delivered to other students during 8th period on February 14th. The sale is a great fundraiser, but it’s also one huge popularity contest; whoever receives the most white carnations is deemed the hottest girl in school.

Claire knows better than to hope for a flower. The only girls who get them are the gorgeous ones, like queen bee Nora and her best friend Phoebe.

Even though Claire openly criticizes the carnation sale to her best friend and longtime crush Max, she is secretly hoping that he will send her one anyways. She wants to admit how she really feels, but Max would never go for a girl like her—a goody two-shoes who never misses a homework assignment and tutors struggling math students on the weekend. It’s better off that she keep her mouth shut and preserve their friendship.

When Valentine’s Day arrives, Claire is shocked to find that someone has sent her not one, but a dozen white carnations. It’s not enough to win the contest—Nora received thirty-five—but Claire is still giddy. Then Max asks her to be his date to a party on Saturday, so it has to be him who sent her the flowers.

But everything isn’t as it seems, and Claire starts to realize that she can either be left heartbroken or find the confidence to go after what she truly wants.