Bleed

BLEED by Laurie Faria Stolarz
Category: Contemporary
Age Recommendation: Grades 9+
Release Date: 9/1/06
Publisher: Hyperion
Reviewed by: Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen
Rating: 4 Stars

Who knew that in the course of one day so much could happen, not only to you but to everyone around you. But of course in
real life, we only witness what happens to ourselves. Laurie Faria Stolarz takes the lives of ten teenagers who are all
connected somehow, and shows how their lives can become so complicated in just one single day.

There’s Nicole Bouchard, who is tired of her reputation as being the good girl and wants to change that by acting on feelings
that she has had for quite some time. It won’t only shock people but can hurt her best friend, Kelly Pickerel, who is in
California, not only to visit her father, but her convict friend, Robby Mardonia, the guy she has been writing to. She
desperately wants to be with him even though she already has a boyfriend, Sean O’Connell.

Sean, the guy who seems to be second-guessing all the choices he’s made and now wants to change them. Then there’s
Maria Krito, who soon discovers that a best friend may not necessarily be someone who is willing to cut her, even though
that’s the only way for Sadie Dubinsky to finally become her friend. Sadie, the eleven-year-old who isn’t the ideal size or
weight or even the girl that her mother wants her to be, and the one that has to be constantly compared to her older, meaner
sister, Ginger. Ginger Dubinsky, who has the chance to get back at Kelly for embarrassing her.

There’s also Derek LaPointe, who soon finds out that looks can’t get him the girl he wants, Mearl Aremian. Her odd nature
may not be for Derek, but it can help others figure out their lives. Last but not least there’s Joy Ryder, a fifteen-year-old
waitress who is sick of all the childish boys that she has to deal with, and will learn a dark secret when she tries to get back at
the one boy who made her life miserable.

Ten teens, ten stories full of complications and problems that will leave the reader wondering what happens to the lives
around them.

BLEED is a very entertaining read that is much different from the other works of Laurie Faria Stolarz. Its deep messages and
risqué language will make the reader feel pain, sorrow, and happiness for the characters, which are all well-developed.
Readers will be pulled into every story, even if they don’t like the person the story is about. Stolarz does her best to capture
the hidden feelings that are felt by the person themselves. As a warning, though, the language used is most definitely not
suitable for kids in eighth-grade and below.