Remember last month when I said that you must go read Dairy Queen? Well, go read it, not just because it’s a good book, but because then you can read the sequel, which is an even better book.

This one picks up right after Dairy Queen ends. D.J.’s made the football team as a linebacker. She and Brian have sort-of got a thing going. She’s having a good year. But, like all good things (it wouldn’t be a good novel if it was just full of happy things without any conflict), it comes to an end. First, D.J.’s best friend leaves (mostly because she came out of the closet, got a girlfriend, and her mother kicked her out). Then, D.J. injures her shoulder, and has to decide between football and the possible scholarship-ticket basketball. And she realizes that her family’s slowly going broke. And while she really likes Brian, he never wants her to hang out with his friends. Or at his house. Or in public.

And that’s just the small stuff.

Again, it’s D.J.’s voice that carries the novel. I love D.J. She’s an amazing girl. Strong, caring, good, honest, wonderful… but not perfect. She’s got enough doubts and insecurities to keep her real and accessible. Yet, she’s one of those girls that I’d like my girls to be. While I thought the plot line was a bit predictable, it avoided falling into stereotypes (mostly). I like the realizations that D.J. comes to, in the course of the book, and how she find an inner ethic — integrity if you will — to fall back on and carry her through when everything gets tough. She could have taken the easy road, but she didn’t. And she’s so much better for it.

I like this quote, from the very end: “But the thing is, Dad’s not too fond of easy lives. Probably jealous, for one thing. But he’s also seen how a tough life can make you stronger.”

What are you still here for? Go. Find. Read. Enjoy.