Smiling through it

To everyone else, Harper Bennett is the life of the party-the girl who always has a smile on her face and a joke ready, the one who can light up a room. But underneath the bright laughter and endless energy, Harper is falling apart. Her world is crumbling-her dad walked out on her family, her best friend moved away, and her mother is lost in her own pain. Instead of showing the cracks, Harper hides behind an over-the-top, cheerful mask, pretending everything is perfect.

No one notices how exhausted she really is. No one sees the emptiness behind her eyes. No one knows how hard she's trying to keep up the act-until Ms. Alvarez, the new school counselor, sees right through her. Armed with a gentle persistence, Ms. Alvarez offers Harper a place to be honest. But letting someone in means risking everything: her image, her carefully constructed world, and the illusion that she's doing just fine.

As Harper's cheerful façade begins to fracture, she has to decide if she's ready to face the truth she's been hiding from-not just from everyone else, but from herself. Smiling Through It is a story about secrets, loneliness, and finding the courage to take off the mask.