One Way or Another by Kara McDowell will capture your heart. This young adult novel is the coming-of-age bravery I cannot get enough of, and I bet my last Andes mint that you’ll fall in love with it, too.
I came upon this book in my search for holiday-themed books that weren’t the average love story. I wanted more than a middle grade book, and I had my stack of adult holiday books all sorted. This popped up and I knew I’d love it. Survey says? Correct!
Start Me Off
Paige and her best guy bud, Fitz, are high school seniors in sunny Arizona. Paige has fought her feelings for Fitz for too long to count, but the feelings aren’t reciprocated. Fitz is a guy anyone would love. Star athlete and super into romcom movies. Charming and witty but also down to earth. And he’s a cutie. You’re in love too, right?
Fitz is a serial relationship-er. He’s connected to a girl, he pulls out all the stops and somehow he’s done and a few weeks later he’s onto this next one. Amazingly, the girls still adore him and only Paige gets a bit of the player vibe from him. (Sparked by jealousy or her brain? Perhaps a combo. Dunno.) So, you see, he’s clearly up for dating. Just not Paige.
Yet, they spend all their time together. He’s the one person who can help Paige’s panic attacks slow down. He’s one of the few people she’s really let in on her severe anxiety. So, our gal Paige has a lot invested in her platonic friend Fitz.
It Felt Like a Good Idea
Paige decided to woman-up and write Fitz a letter telling him about her feelings. That she loves him, but since the feelings aren’t mutual, they need to breakup as friends. Because, gawd, rejection sucks but living with this secret hurts just as badly.
Paige’s anxiety got the best of her and she chickened out of giving Fitz the letter. Untiiiiiil he eye-spies it in her back pocket and grabs it. She makes him promise to not read it. PROMISE. He agrees, but shoot. Who could resist?! (I’d open it the second she wheeled away and find some shifty way to make it look glued and in tact like I’m not a devious fart.)
Toss-Up
Paige and her mom don’t have a lot of extra cash. So traveling hasn’t happened to date, but lawdy, that is Paige’s dream. Her walls are decorated with places she’d like to visit.
Fitz asks Paige to come to his family’s cabin on the 26th to experience her first snowfall. A dream come true for her.
Paige’s mom gets tickets and housing lined up for a last-minute trip to New York City. Also a dream come true for her.
So the dilema, my friends:
- Go to NYC. Experience a true winter-y Christmas and do all sorts of dreamy tourist things. Trust the letter will remain unread.
- Skip NYC and go to Fitz’s cabin early to get said letter back in possession and enjoy a snowy stay with your bestie
Well, That Was Unexpected
I luh-huv when authors do this parallel story thing showing how one decision can ripple into so many other outcomes. Butterfly effect. But think of matters of the 17 year old heart instead of causing a tsunami somewhere, mmmmkay?
Follow Paige as she follows both options – to NYC and to the snowy cabin fam retreat. Does one option yield an entirely different outcome than the other? Read and find out!
Favorite Quotes
- “Fitz is always creating elaborate romantic scenarios, but they go up in flames at least as often as they’re successful; .500 is a great batting average but less than impressive in the grand gesture department.”
- “Molly is not the first girl he’s called ‘the one,’ and she won’t be the last either. I’m horribly jealous. Practically dripping with poison-green envy. Not only because of those other girls (although that’s part of it) but also because he has a fearless heart. It’s the thing I love most about him. It’s the thing I hate in equal measure.”
- “My bedroom is a tribute to the places I’ve never been and the things I’ve never done. It’s a shrine to the lives I’m scared I’ll never have.” Ugh. This hits me in the gut. But it’s so honestly beautiful, right?
- “Not when I know how it feels to find the personal who makes me the happiest possible version of myself.”
Anxiety
Paige suffers from an anxiety and panic disorder. I’ve said this in SO many of my posts, but I really love when books shed light on a condition. It’s such an amazing way to educate and break down preconceived ideas.
I’m in Paige’s camp and have anxiety and my life is so much better for being on medication for it. Not a high dose, but enough for my thoughts to slow down a bit. I wholeheartedly can shout from the rooftops that I’m a better human for this medication.
There is nothing wrong with having mental health needs. In fact, I feel in my gut that we all have something. Anxiety. Narcissism. Codependency. Unhealthy spending habits. Hoarding. Addiction. Just being a plain a-hole. (Well, there is no medication or therapy for that. Good luck. There should be an island somewhere were lifelong asshats should be shipped so they can all out-anger each other.) Whatever it is. We all have stuff to work on. We’re human. The goal isn’t perfection. We’re all just trying to be the best versions of ourselves. Thank you, Kara McDowell, for bring anxiety (especially anxiety in teens) to the forefront.
One Way or Another is the charming novel you need right now that says ‘you are perfect and loved just as you are.’
XO