Ashley is not popular. Not by a long shot. Her classmates tease her relentlessly while she hangs on the fringes of the in-crowd, hoping to fit in. Her mom is no better, telling her she'd have more friends if she tried harder or spent more time on her appearance. Ashley does spend a lot of time looking in the mirror, though, because when she looks in a mirror, she sees her future self, and that future self is giving her advice and trying to help her survive. But there are some things that even Future Ashley can't stop.
This book is weird. Seriously weird. In alternating chapters we hear the story of an incident that landed Ashley in a mental institution and also the story of Ashley as she's speaking with her therapist and hoping for release from said institution. Any more description would involve spoilers, so I'll have to leave it there. I didn't really like this story or feel any sympathy for Ashley, but the theme of mental illness is so important for young adult collections that I would definitely add this to my library's collection regardless of my personal feelings about the book.
Recommended for: young adults
Red Flags: bullying, abuse, alcohol use
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars
Read-Alikes: I Am the Cheese, Big Fat Disaster, Going Bovine
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