The trace amount of alcohol in her bloodstream. The tremendous amount of guilt on her shoulders. A severely scarred face that is a daily reminder of the car crash that killed her sister. But when Mia finally pieces together her memories of the night Rachel died, the shocking truth might be as jarring as the crunch of metal.
It’s been a year since fifteen-year-old Mia Hopkins was in a car crash that killed her older sister, Rachel, and left her own face terribly scarred. The doctors tell her she was lucky to survive. Her therapist says it will take time to heal. The police reports claim there were trace amounts of alcohol in her bloodstream. But no matter how much she tries to reconstruct the events of that fateful night, Mia’s memory is spotty at best. She’s left with accusations, rumors, and guilt so powerful it is quickly consuming her.
As the rest of Mia’s family struggles with their own grief, Mia is sent to New York City to spend the summer with a grandmother she’s never met. All Mia wants to do is hide from the world, but instead she’s stuck with a summer job in the bustling kitchens of the café down the street. There she meets Fig—blue-haired, friendly, and vivacious—who takes Mia under her wing. As Mia gets to know Fig and her friends—including Cooper, the artistic boy who’s always on Mia’s mind—she realizes that she’s not the only one with a painful past.
Over the summer, Mia starts to learn that redemption isn’t as impossible as she once thought, but her scars inside run deep and aren’t nearly so simple to heal … especially when Mia finally pieces together her memories of the awful night Rachel died.
We Were Beautiful is:
- A unique coming of age story about tragedy, forgiveness, and love
- Written by acclaimed, award-winning author Heather Hepler
- Perfect for fans of Robyn Schneider and Justina Chen.
- A poignant, clean YA romance unafraid to explore serious contemporary life issues
Heather Hepler is the author of Frosted Kisses (Scholastic, 2015) Love? Maybe (Dial, 2012), The Cupcake Queen (Dutton, 2009), Jars of Glass (Dutton, 2008), Dream Factory (Dutton, 2007), and Scrambled Eggs at Midnight (Dutton, 2006). Heather has been making up stories in her head for as long as she can remember. It was an amazing day when she realized that she could use her talent for good instead of evil. Now instead of making up outrageous stories to explain why her hands were dyed purple; what happened to the last cookie; or why she decided that spending twenty dollars on a talking fish was a good idea, she pours her creative energy into her novels. Heather fills her award-winning novels with whatever captures her attention. Outer space, cupcakes, Renaissance Fairs, bacon truffles, Disney Princesses, sea glass, and love potions have all made the list. Currently she is fascinated with aliens and fruitcake. Her writing has received many awards and accolades and she has been told more than once by her son that when she writes, she makes weird faces. More about Heather can be found by visiting her website: www.heatherhepler.com. You can contact Heather at cupcakequeen@heatherhepler.com.
