Sara Zarr has managed, once again, to write a book which weaves so strong a magical spell that the reader finds it hard to even want to break free. In Sweethearts, her newest young adult novel, she introduces the reader to Jennifer Harris and Cameron Quick, elementary school outcasts who manage to find in one another the one person who loves them without reservation. Together they share the sound of clattering aspen leaves, the early-morning sight of unblemished new snow, and a near disastrous encounter with an abusive parent until one day Cameron disappears and is rumored to have died.

Jennifer moves to a new school, gains a new stepfather, and manages to outwardly reinvent herself as Jenna Vaughn - popular thin girl with a handsome boyfriend. Inside, however she is still "Fattifer," the playground pariah who has never forgotten Cameron and never forgiven him for leaving her. When he walks into her high school alive after all these years his presence threatens the fragile new life and persona she has created. Can Jenna survive a trip to a terrifying shared moment in their past which Cameron insists they take? Is Jenna strong enough, or was Jennifer the strong one all along?

In the final chapter, Jenna/Jennifer writes, "I think about how there are certain people who come into your life, and leave a mark." There are certain books which come into your life and leave a mark as well. Readers like me, who were forever marked by Story of a Girl, will not be disappointed by Sara Zarr’s sophomore addition to the young adult market. Readers who have yet to read a Sara Zarr book - run to read both Story of a Girl and Sweethearts.