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Ginny is spending the summer in Bennington, Vermont, rather against her own will. Her dad is pursuing a fellowship at the college, and her mother hopes that the move will further her goal of getting published after years of frustration and failure. At the local organic foods store, Ginny meets Sam, a talented artist. The store has been in Sam's family for six generations, and his father, a business-minded man, hopes that Sam will someday take over management. Sam, however, dreams of attending art school.
Ginny and Sam strike up a flirtation. What Ginny doesn't know is that Sam has been dating another girl, Megan, for two years. As a fellow artist, Megan has encouraged his gifts and connected him with local galleries, resulting in the sale of several pieces. Sam keeps Ginny's existence a secret and takes her to see Spider-man, in the process deceiving Megan about his whereabouts. Sam's brother, Ben, learns of the ruse and warns Sam that if he doesn't change course, the consequences will be devastating.
What elevates this novel is its refusal to demonize any of its characters. We see them at their worst—thoughtless and cruel, pursuing immediate gratification over their own good and that of others. Yet there are no villains, and everyone retains a degree of sympathy. Their motivations are believable even when their behavior is deplorable. Sam hardly seems conscious of the fact that he's cheating on Megan, but small self-deceptions lead to great heartache. Likewise, Ginny's mother is a persuasive portrayal of a jealous and resentful woman, one whose professional failures bring misery to her husband and children. It isn't often that a novel provokes both grief and outrage. The moral conundrums presented in this book, and its flawed but endearing characters, make it a standout young adult novel.