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Sign up todayThe Glass Girl
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“Everyone deals with problems differently. Fifteen-year-old Bella chooses alcohol to solve hers. Her home life sucks, she gets dumped by her boyfriend, and she is spiraling. After a terrifying blackout and a trip to rehab, she slowly takes the steps of rebuilding her shattered life. This is a heartbreaking story of a girl who has hit rock bottom and must make the choice of life or death. ”
— Suzanne • Underground Books
Bookseller recommendation
“Fifteen-year-old Bella has a drinking problem, finding solace in her disguised bottle of “Sprod-ka” (Sprite & Vodka). What began as an innocent routine with her grandma has now turned into a downward spiral of addiction. The more Bella depends on alcohol, the messier her life becomes, until her life almost comes to an end. Take a front row seat and look through the window of alcohol dependency; its spiral and its despair. The author was inspired to write this story based on her own experiences, and the tale, from beginning to end, is raw! Addiction (any kind) is terrifying, and rehabilitation is not a straight line, often taking years and several re-starts. Reading this story reaffirms that recovering addicts need our support (including tough love), not judgment.”
— Virgie • Off the Beaten Path
Summary
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the critically acclaimed author of Girl in Pieces comes a raw, heart-wrenching novel about a teenager facing down her struggles with alcohol—and the journey she must take to heal.
“A must-read.” —Laura Nowlin, #1 New York Times bestselling author of If He Had Been with Me
“Everyone needs this book.” —Sloan Harlow, New York Times bestselling author of Everything We Never Said
Everyone in fifteen-year-old Bella’s life needs something from her. Her mom needs her to help around the house, her dad needs her to not make waves, her ex needs her to not be so much. The only person who never needed anything from her was her grandmother—and now she’s dead.
There’s only one thing that dulls the pressure: alcohol. Vodka, beer, peppermint schnapps—alcohol smooths the sharp edges of Bella’s life. And what’s the big deal? Everyone drinks. Besides, Bella can stop whenever she wants. But after she gets blackout drunk at a Thanksgiving party and wakes up in the hospital, it’s time to face reality. And for Bella, reality means rehab.
Gorgeously written and deeply compassionate, Kathleen Glasgow’s The Glass Girl is a candid exploration of the forces pushing young women toward addiction—and what it really takes to help them get better.
Reviews
★ “Glasgow’s gift for writing is in full force here … Glasgow already has a strong following and will surely attract more with this addition to her body of work. Consider purchasing multiple copies.” —Booklist, starred review★ "Combining The Bell Jar with Euphoria, this heart wrenching read offers a resonant and compassionate look at teenage substance reliance." —Publishers Weekly, starred review
★ "This compelling novel leaves it up to Bella alone to admit she needs help and is an education—and a warning—about the depths of addiction." —School Library Journal, starred review
"A visceral, weighty read." —Kirkus Reviews
“Inspiring, hopeful, and very necessary. Glasgow leads with empathy in a subject that is far too often misunderstood and judged. Stunning in every sense of the word.” —Josh Silver, author of HappyHead
“Glasgow’s characters are raw and nuanced individuals that feel like someone you used to know or could have been in a different life. Add to that Glasgow’s haunting lyricism and trademark ability to break your heart and remake it stronger, and you know why The Glass Girl is a must-read.” —Laura Nowlin, #1 New York Times bestselling author of If He Had Been with Me
“I wish The Glass Girl had been around when I was in high school. You don’t have to be a teen or have struggled with alcohol to need this book. You just have to be a human being. Everyone needs this book.” —Sloan Harlow, New York Times bestselling author of Everything We Never Said
“Deeply honest, wholly compassionate, and desperately needed. I fell hard for Bella, a girl torn between her brain and her heart who carries far too much on her own at just fifteen—and who deserves so much better than to carry it alone. The Glass Girl is Kathleen Glasgow at her finest.” —Meredith Adamo, author of Not Like Other Girls
“Kathleen Glasgow has an unparalleled ability to breathe humanity into her characters, to make us hurt and hope and heal alongside them; it is this quality that shines most brightly in The Glass Girl. Nothing short of a modern masterpiece, it is a powerful, necessary, and gorgeously written journey into the depths of addiction—and there is no guide better equipped to lead readers through this darkness to a state of light, recovery, and hope than Glasgow.” —Amber Smith, New York Times bestselling author of The Way I Used to Be and The Way I Am Now
“A fiercely powerful story of recovery, hope, redemption, and strength. I read The Glass Girl in one feverish, tear-soaked sitting, and it haunted me for weeks. It still haunts me in the very best way. Kathleen Glasgow’s prose is as beautiful and lyrical as her stories are unflinchingly honest and real. I wish I could press a copy into the hands of every teen and adult. Read this. It’s a masterpiece.” —Jennifer Niven, #1 New York Times bestselling author of All the Bright Places Expand reviews