Mercy Rule

This book follows teens as they move about their high school lives and face everyday challenges. It is told from the perspective of a large group of teenagers. Each teen has his/her own passions, strengths, and fears. Danny loved his art school and hates this school, Andrea is a cutter struggling to cope with her parents’ dysfunction, Cadence is the bubbly freshman, Donte and Brady are the athletes trying to keep their eyes on their football futures, and Vivian feels so out of place in her new upper-middle-class life. These characters are real, raw, and flawed. The writer tries to get you invested in all their lives, which works at times, but other times there just isn’t enough. There are too many characters to really get a good sense of any of them, especially the main actor in terrible tragedy at the end of the story. I found their actions hard to believe at times, but other times there were some very powerful moments. The writing is good, but sometimes the dialogue doesn’t seem real. I would recommend this book to people who like to read about the drama of “typical” high school life and who like to hear stories from many perspectives.