A hard-hitting novel that breaks open the gritty world of teen relationship abuse, by the author of The Gospel According to Larry

"Unlike Abby, I hadn't had a boyfriend since Peter last year, and even that was stretching the definition of boyfriend way past anything Webster would recognize. I had better luck holding the attention of a roomful of people in a comedy club than a guy-I couldn't decide if that was good or just plain pathetic."

Seventeen-year-old Becky Martin-smart, funny, ambitious-aspires to be a stand-up comic. While setting out to make her goal a reality, she meets Kip Costello, a rising star in the San Francisco comedy-club scene. And what could be better than an intense boyfriend who cares about every detail of her life? But Becky soon discovers a darker side to Kip, where emotional and physical abuse grow hand-in-hand. As the relationship goes from loving to controlling, Becky must find the courage to get help before it's too late.

In this powerful novel, Janet Tashjian tackles the difficult and complex subject of teen relationship abuse from the viewpoints of both the victim and the perpetrator, showing that there are no easy answers for either-but many brave survivors.