Beneath the Skin

Life sucks for 18-year-old Sidney Shaw.Her mom's a drunk. Her dad disappears for weeks at a time. It's better when he's gone.At school, she's betrayed and bullied by her ex-best friend. To make matters worse, cutting can't bring the relief she craves anymore. Something's gotta give. When she punches a kid to protect her little brother, Sidney's forced into group counseling with perfect, popular Arianna, who looks like the type to grieve over a broken nail. But Arianna has secrets of her own. She might just be an ally, if Sidney can let her guard down.And then there's the new guy, Lucas, who sees straight through Sidney's tough, snarky façade. But Sidney's wounds go deeper than anyone knows. As her father's abuse escalates, her secrets threaten to unravel her. How far is she willing to go to protect her family? And who can she turn to when the unthinkable happens?A gut-wrenching exploration of trauma and resilience, the redemptive power of friendship, and how we piece our broken selves back together, one shard at a time.