Optimists Die First by Susin Nielsen

Everyone has a history. For Petula and her Youth Art Therapy (YART) classmates, their histories pretty much bite. How does one move past a marred past, either a singular event or a series of bad decisions that result in a complete loss of faith in an individual? Everyone makes mistakes, some are just bigger and harder to forgive than others.

Rachel and Petula were great friends, best friends even. They loved to share everything with one another, until that terrible day. Of the many issues Petula suffers from,  many have developed since that terrible day, most deal with extreme (irrational) safety. As in how likely one is to be struck by piano falling from the 5th floor of an apartment building while walking down the street,  or making sure one wears the appropriate clothing for cold weather so as not to catch pneumonia.

Jacob, a.k.a. the bionic man, has his own past. As a transfer student, not everyone knows where he has been or what he has done, but he does. It haunts him, causing him to leave behind huge portions of what makes Jacob "Jacob."

As the classmates work together - at first under serious duress - they start to see each other as more than just a summation of mistakes, but as truly whole people.

Nielsen gives us some really fantastic characters in this book, they all have their hangups, bang-ups, and screwups, but they are each touching in their own way. I think many readers of Jandy Nelson, John Green and Rainbow Rowell will enjoy this funny and heartfelt novel.