Sway by Kat Spears

Image courtesy of Amazon.com

Sway 

by Kat Spears

Sway is the story of Jesse.  Jesse is a fixer, you want it?  He can get it.  Drugs, girls, term papers; nothing is too big or too small for Jesse.  But these things come with a price.

Jesse is hired by the BMOC (do kids still use this term?) to get intel on Bridget, the school good-girl, so that she'll go out with him.  For a mere $200, Jesse tells Ken all that he needs to know to ensure that Bridget will fall for him.  What he wasn't expecting was that he'd fall for her as well.

Through this recon on Bridget, Jesse gets to know her brother Pete.  Pete has cerebral palsy, and despite Pete's best efforts to the contrary, Jesse likes Pete and they become friends.  However, Jesse doesn't have many friends and has to learn how to navigate this new relationship.  His feelings for Bridget also get in the way and Jesse manages to screw up just about every relationship he has.

Throw in Mr. Dunkleman, the man Jesse hired to pretend to be his grandfather, giving Jesse life advice, and you've got one dysfunctional scenario after another.   

Bridget is perfect, Pete has a disability, Ken is a "douche", Mr. Dunkleman is insightful and Jesse is just damaged.  The well crafted story of these characters will keep you up past your bed time, but the people that Spears has created will stick with you well after you've finished the last page!