Counting Backwards

In this haunting and hopeful debut novel, a teens court-mandated psychiatric residency prompts a change in perspective from which there is no looking back. Taylor Truwell is a sixteen-year-old girl from Florida with a troubled past, a neglectful mother, a seemingly callous father, and an urge to flee. When Taylor is caught with a stolen car, her violent reaction lands her in court for resisting arrest. Her father convinces the judge of an alternative to punishment: treatment in a juvenile psychiatric correctional facility. And so Taylor arrives at Sunny Meadows. Sunny Meadows is anything but the easy way out, and Taylor has to fight hard just to hold on to her sanity as she battles her parents, an intrusive therapist, and a group of particularly nasty fellow patients. But even as Taylor clings to her stubborn former self, she gradually relents to new friendshipsand to unexpected romance. Sunny Meadows goes against everything Taylor stands for. But could it be the place that saves her? In this striking debut, Laura Lascarso weaves together a powerful story of anger and self-destruction, hope and love, and the complicated way that it all comes together. Review Readers are likely to sympathize enough with Taylor to...root for her as she reluctantly embraces rehabilitation.... Despite a few bumps in the road, a hopeful model for growth through therapy. Kirkus Reviews, June 13, 2012 This debut novel from Lascarso approaches an unhappy and stressful young adulthood with realism and sensitivity, where disappointment and uncertainty can eventually coexist with opportunity and hope. The concern and love of Taylors father and an understanding and effective therapist are central to the story...the story resonates and will likely appeal to middle school readers and up. VOYA, August 2012 This debut novel from Lascarso approaches an unhappy and stressful young adulthood with realism and sensitivity, where disappointment and uncertainty can eventually coexist with opportunity and hope. The concern and love of Taylors father and an understanding and effective therapist are central to the story...the story resonates and will likely appeal to middle school readers and up. VOYA, August 2012 About the Author Laura Lascarso lives in north Florida with her husband, two children, three chickens, and a dog named Lucy. Counting Backwards is her debut novel. Visit her at LauraLascarso.com. ϡ쯦랠 Three weeks ago I tried to run away from home. Now all I want is to go back. When troubled Taylor Truwell is caught with a stolen car and lands in court for resisting arrest, her father convinces the judge of an alternative to punishment: treatment in a juvenile psychiatric correctional facility. Sunny Meadows is anything but the easy way out, and Taylor has to fight hard just to hold on to her sanity as she battles her parents, her therapist, and vicious fellow patients. But even as Taylor struggles to hold on to her stubborn former self, she finds herself relenting as she lets in two unlikely friends--Margo, a former child star and arsonist, and AJ, a mysterious boy who doesnt speak. In this striking debut, Laura Lascarso weaves together a powerful story of anger and self-destruction, hope and love. After stealing a car and assaulting a police officer, sixteen-year-old Taylor is sent to a boarding school that functions as a juvenile psychiatric correctional facility, where she struggles to hold onto her sanity as she battles her parents, overbearing therapists, and a group of particularly nasty fellow patients.