"Becoming Charlie, Part One" by Kristie Haigwood

Upon finishing a tutoring session with one of the cheerleaders, Charlie Mason is attacked while walking home from school. She screams for help while trying to defend herself against 3 attackers. Her rescuer, Sean Reese, manages to stop the attack. His assistance also brings out a number of witnesses who had been attending the baseball game at the school that evening. Even though her attackers fled at that point, they were recognized by a number of people and will not escape punishment.

Unwilling to leave her alone after the attack, Sean walks her home. Seeing that there was no one at her house, he insists on staying until her mother returns. Besides being one of the most popular boys in her school, he appears to be genuinely kind and concerned about her. They spend the next several hours talking and becoming friends. Each of them has had a rough past and has secrets that they are not yet willing to share. Complete trust does take time to build, after all, regardless of how two people meet.

This was an amazing story. It was well-written, well edited and clearly expressed the many emotions and worries that high school teens experience. I found myself not wanting to put this book down. I was so entranced reading this one that my only complaint was that the book ended with a bit of a cliffhanger, requiring me to wait for Part Two to be released before I can find out what happens next! It was a very quick read and one that I greatly enjoyed. This book is one that I highly recommend reading. I know that I’ll be waiting impatiently for the release of Part Two.