“Sorry, John Green fans, but McDaniel’s been making us cry . . . for  decades, ” says Bustle.com. Now, in her latest novel, as three high school seniors are in the midst of planning their futures, they must face present-day circumstances that force them to grasp what it means to truly become an adult.   Lani Kennedy has dreamed of becoming a nurse since her cousin Arie died of leukemia. Nothing will stop her from getting into the local nursing program.   Dawson Berke hasn’t dealt with his mom’s death, and he’s angry at his dad for forcing them to move right before his senior year.   Sloan Quentin knows that her band is her ticket to fame and fortune. When she discovers that her boyfriend—the band’s lead guitarist—is cheating on her, she finds comfort—and revenge—in someone else’s arms.     As the lives of Lani, Dawson, and Sloan become entangled in unexpected ways, reality hits harder than anyone could have imagined, and life-altering decisions are faced.   “For fans of romance tinged with tragedy . . . this latest offering will resonate.” — SLJ Gr 9 Up—Pleasure reading for fans of romance twinged with tragedy. The lives of three middle Tennessee young adults are intertwined in McDaniel's latest love story. Sloan Quentin dreams of musical stardom as the way to escape her trailer-park upbringing. But when she runs from a cheating boyfriend into the arms of the new guy, her path takes an unexpected turn. Dawson Berke is fuming. His dad moves them from Baltimore to Windemere, TN, for his senior year. For his dad, it's the only way they can begin again after his mom's death, but Dawson is counting down the days until he can leave his new home for good. Alana "Lani" Kennedy has been working toward her dream of becoming a nurse since her cousin Arie died years earlier. When her life becomes entangled with Dawson's and Sloan's, her dedication to nursing will be rocked to the core. The bulk of the novel focuses on the characters as young 20-somethings. These three young adults are forced to grapple with making their own choices and accepting responsibility for those decisions. Filled with emotional highs and lows, this latest offering will resonate with fans of McDaniel's other works. VERDICT This title follows the usual formula of weepy love story with a character's chronic illness as a plot device. Purchase where the author's titles fly off the shelves.—Elaine Baran Black, Georgia Public Library Service, Atlanta "Pleasure reading for fans of romance twinged with tragedy. Filled with emotional highs and lows, this latest offering will resonate with fans."-- SLJ LURLENE McDANIEL began writing inspirational novels about teenagers facing life-altering situations when her son was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes. “I want kids to know that while people don’t get to choose what life gives to them, they do get to choose how they respond,” she has said. Her novels are hard-hitting and realistic, but also leave readers with inspiration and hope. Her bestselling books have received acclaim from readers, teachers, parents, and reviewers; they include The Year of Luminous Love and its companion, The Year of Chasing Dreams; Don’t Die, My Love; Till Death Do Us Part; Telling Christina Goodbye; True Love: Three Novels; and many more. CHAPTER 1     When Alana Kennedy was thirteen, her beautiful cousin, Arie Winslow, tragically died from the leukemia that had stalked her most of her life. Arie was twenty-one, too young to die, but there was nothing her doctors could do to save her. Relatives rallied around Arie, promising to be at her side every minute of her last days to bring whatever comfort they could. Alana--Lani to all--and her mother, Jane, a teacher at Windemere Elementary, were on the schedule twice a week. Lani’s sister, Melody, was away at Vanderbilt Law School but kept in constant touch and came home to visit whenever time permitted.   At first Lani balked, not wanting to become part of a vigil on what she called Arie’s “death watch.” What thirteen-year-old kid would?   “It’s what we can do to help,” Jane told her. “It’s a way to express our love. Please just trust me, honey. You’ll be sorry if you check out of coming with me.”   So no matter how much it hurt to watch Arie waste away, Lani went. Through the last weeks of her cousin’s life, Lani read to her, combed tangles out of her hair, soothed her dry, cracked lips with ice chips and moisturizing salves, and spoon-fed her bites of ice cream that numbed painful mouth sores. Lani was at Arie’s bedside on the spring night when Arie’s beautiful spirit drifted away, with her loved ones touching and whispering goodbyes.   But knowing the inevitable and witnessing it were two un-related things for Lani, and she had been inconsolable. She fell into such a depression that her parents grew worried, and when the school year ended, her dad bought her a horse, something she’d wanted since she was a little kid. The palomino, named Oro del Sol, was stabled at Bellm