COLD GIRLS

A heart-wrenching story of friendship, grief, and identity.

Eighteen-year-old Rory Quinn-Morelli is grieving the death of her best friend, Liv Martinez; she’s been forced into therapy by her mother, who’s “on a mission to fix” Rory after the “Xanax Incident.” Faculty kid Rory, who reads white, met Liv when she showed up late to Telsey College Prep’s fifth-period choir in a bathrobe. Rory was instantly transfixed, doing a deep dive on Insta and finding Liv’s profile, “Bio: she/her ** filipinx ** irritated” (Liv’s mom is cued white). Choir brings them together, music bonds them—from Bowie to Amy Winehouse, they create “endless, chaotic” playlists for each other. Liv draws Rory into her friend group and away from Rory’s gay friend, Stoff. Rory and Liv spend the next year going to parties, seeing bands, and hanging out. When Liv starts hooking up with classmate Milo, Rory experiences a telltale “tug” in her stomach. It doesn’t make things weird, but it does awaken Rory. Until, that is, the “Worst Night,” when a car crash ends Liv’s life, Rory at her side. The heart of Liv and Rory’s story, the painstaking confrontation of loss, and the unconditional embrace of a parent’s love are deftly threaded through the pristine prose. However, it is Rory’s teetering between then and now that tethers all this unbearable beauty as she tackles the exquisiteness of healing, acceptance, and love.

A vibrant and poignant must-read.