Every Last Word - Hardcover

TAMARA IRELAND STONE is the author of the New York Times bestseller, EVERY LAST WORD, a story about a teen with OCD who discovers a secret poetry club that changes her life in unexpected ways.

Stone is also the author of TIME BETWEEN US, which has been published in over twenty countries, and its companion novel, TIME AFTER TIME. The series follows a teen time traveler from present day and a girl in 1995 he can't seem to leave in his past.

A former Silicon Valley marketing executive, Stone enjoys skiing, traveling, and going to concerts. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and two children.

Listen to playlists and learn more about her books at tamarairelandstone.com. 

Gr 8 Up—Sixteen-year-old Sam spends her summers training at the private club pool, working to earn the county title and a college scholarship. Her school-year counterpart, Samantha, is tied to a toxic group of popular besties-for-life, trying to keep her Purely Obsessional OCD a secret. Running with a crowd who takes hostile notice of every social misstep, every misapplied bit of makeup, and any move that is less than normal, keeping her diagnosis a secret is not easy. Out of the blue, Samantha meets Caroline, who introduces her to a secret society called the Poet's Corner. Slowly, Samantha begins to discover how she can remain Sam and be true to herself outside of summer and the pool, and even trust the cute musician AJ enough to fall in love with him. Just when Sam begins to feel confident in herself, the very thing that helped her feel normal is what ultimately makes her question her sanity. Approached in a very respectful and informative manner, this story of coming to terms with a difficult diagnoses and being less-than-normal is in no way didactic. While the beginning is slow and requires some suspension of disbelief, the climax and resolution are resounding enough to rise above any shadows of doubt. VERDICT While the story's romance falls almost too easily into place, this title will do well in libraries where Sarah Dessen and Stephanie Perkins are in high demand.—Brittany Staszak, St. Charles Public Library, IL