My Life as a Girl

Book excerpt: It's the long, hot summer between high school and college, and Jaime Cody is working a double shift. Days at a greasy spoon called Franklin's All-American Diner; night at the Phoenix, a restaurant at a glitzy resort. She's hoping to earn the college money her father stole from her -- and leave herself no time to think. A whole country lies between where Jaime is -- Arizona -- and where she wants to be -- Bryn Mawr, a college for women in Pennsylvania. The jobs mean the difference between making a life for herself and being duped by a man, the way her mother was. The plan is perfect -- until a boy named Buddy appears, reminding her of a character in the romantic stories her mother still loves to tell. No one has to know about Buddy. He's Jaime's secret. Just for the summer.