This coming-of-age story, set against the backdrop of the mid-1990s Midwest, follows Cassandra, a high schooler whose big dreams clash with her family’s conservative expectations, as she comes into her own while navigating the complexities of teenage sex and dating.

Fourteen-year-old Cassandra Economos doesn’t fit the mold of her traditional Greek family. She’s always been a good kid, but lately she’s begun to question how much influence her relatives’ expectations should really have on her life.

Cassie doesn’t understand why anyone would want to stay in Sterling, IL when there’s a whole world out there to explore and experience. She wonders why her brother Chris gets showered in love and affection after becoming a father at twenty-five, when she and her sister, Vanessa, aren’t even allowed to date before they’re his age. And she’d rather go see Nirvana play live in Chicago than attend her homecoming dance.

Perfect for fans of Now Is Not the Time to Panic and The Perks of Being a Wallflower, this series-starter traces the social entanglements of the Economos sisters and their friends — from bodice-rippers and bad sex to secret boyfriends and matters of consent — through Cassie’s diary entries from 1993 to ’97.

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