How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr

This is another book that has shown up on almost *every* Best of 2011 list and I kinda have to agree...it was great.  I thougth the ending was a bit too tidy but I can live with it because the story as a whole was so great.  It kinda amazes me that I liked it as much as I did because I started out really disliking both of the main protagonist but then they grew on me...and I fell in love.

Book Description via Amazon.com

Jill MacSweeny just wishes everything could go back to normal. But ever since her dad died, she's been isolating herself from her boyfriend, her best friends--everyone who wants to support her. And when her mom decides to adopt a baby, it feels like she's somehow trying to replace a lost family member with a new one.

Mandy Kalinowski understands what it's like to grow up unwanted--to be raised by a mother who never intended to have a child. So when Mandy becomes pregnant, one thing she's sure of is that she wants a better life for her baby. It's harder to be sure of herself. Will she ever find someone to care for her, too?

As their worlds change around them, Jill and Mandy must learn to both let go and hold on, and that nothing is as easy--or as difficult--as it seems.

Critically acclaimed author and National Book Award finalist Sara Zarr delivers a heart-wrenching story, told from dual perspectives, about the many roads that can lead us home.