Hot Mess

Harper Diles has always lived in the space between control and chaos. At sixteen, she's polished on the outside, good grades, sharp eyeliner, carefully rehearsed smiles, but underneath, she's restless, reckless, and hungry for something bigger than the routine of high school hallways. Hot Mess, by Rachel Clements, captures the willful lifestyle of Harper, as she discovered who she is as a young woman, a girlfriend, and a daughter. Sophomore year hits Harper hard, with the realities of romance, heartbreak, addiction, loneliness, euphoria, and nostalgia. From the highs of first love to the sting of heartbreak, from the rush of rebellion to the quiet ache of loneliness, Harper's journey is as toxic as it is addicting. Hot Mess captures the beauty and brutality of coming of age, through friendship, smiles, tears, laughter and many, many sob sessions. This novel is a raw and authentic coming-of-age novel about the choices that shape us, the mistakes that define us, and the resilience it takes to keep moving forward when life threatens to unravel. It's about the fire we all carry inside us, and what happens when we finally decide to let it burn.