Every Last Word

Every Last Word

by Tamara Ireland Stone

As summer ends, Sam knows she must return to school and become Samantha again. She must rejoin the clique she's been in since kindergarten and pretend to be the perfect girl she feels that she's expected to be.

But even her best friends who've known her most of her life don't really know her.

They don't know about her obsessive need to have all things end on three. They don't know that she must check everything about everyone she knows. They don't know that she sometimes has thoughts of harming all those around her.

Sam has OCD. With the help of a very understanding family, pretty good meds, and an amazing therapist, Sam's been very good at hiding her disorder from everyone she knows, but it takes more effort each day and it has really drained her.

She can't keep hiding who she is, but she also fears going against the girls who can often be cruel to others and will definitely be cruel if she tries to leave them.

Then one day, Sam meets Caroline and she's led to a group of misfits who accept her for who she is and help her find her voice.

Final thoughts: Great book about the struggles with OCD, as well as what it may be like for the girls in the mean girl groups who may not really be that mean. Sam is a fascinating character and her growth throughout the book feels authentic. The twist near the end felt a little strange and forced, but Sam was real throughout.

Rating: 4/5

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.