Ashley's world is perfect-until her mother disappears, accused of embezzling a million dollars. Left completely on her own, Ashley ends up living in a camper behind a gas station. Her friends have abandoned her, bills are piling up, and she can't understand why her mother doesn't come home.Ashley survives by taking a job in a quirky San Francisco coffee shop, where she finds the friends, the confidence, and the courage to start putting her life back together. But there is still one piece of her former life that just doesn't fit into her new one. What really happened to Ashley's mother?This heartfelt coming-of-age story will resonate with any young woman who is looking ahead to the moment when she must step out on her own and not just survive, but thrive. Reviews"Bowsher convincingly develops the unique voice of a young woman sliding from being a San Francisco suburban 'Valley Girl' into homelessness. ...This captivating story reads more like a journal than a novel. Though it is not high literature, it is a quick, easy read." -School Library Journal "What teens will read as a riveting adventure, adults might see as empowering teen readers. Ashley develops into a complex, admirable young woman. Useful in classrooms as a vehicle for discussing plot and character develop, instrumental for engaging reluctant readers, and decidedly satisfying for all, this book belongs in schools and libraries where readers age twelve to twenty-seven can enjoy and learn for themselves." -VOYA About the Author Melodie Bowsher grew up in Kansas and received a degree in journalism from Kansas State University. After graduating, she went to work at the Wall Street Journal's Dallas bureau where at age twenty she was the first woman ever hired by that newspaper as a staff reporter. Melodie later moved to San Francisco where her two kids provided the research for this, her first novel.