Lipstick Apology by Jennifer Jabaley

Release Date: August 6, 2009
Publisher: Razorbill
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 286
From: author
Interest: debut author

Sometimes a good-bye is just the beginning…
When Emily Carson’s parents die in a plane crash, she’s left with nothing but her mother’s last words scrawled in lipstick on a tray table: “Emily, please forgive me.”
Now it’s fall and Emily moves to New York City— where she attracts the attention of two very different boys: the cute, popular Owen, and her quirky chemistry partner, Anthony. With the help of some surprising new friends, Emily must choose between the boy who helps her forget and the one who encourages her to remember, and ultimately heal.
Lipstick Apology was this mixture of heartbreakingly touching moments and surprisingly hilarious ones. Losing your parents is something you never want anyone to experience, and Jabaley did a fantastic job depicting that with this novel.

Loved Trent, Jolie and Anthony. Emily was a little extreme for me at times, but she started to win me over at the end. There were certain aspects, like Emily's desire to be popular, that seemed uneven with the overall tone.

The romance was a little bit dry, and it was definitely predictable. Which honestly, wasn't a big deal to me, I appreciated the other elements in the novel enough to let the romance aspect slide. Overall, despite it's few shortcomings, I really enjoyed reading Lipstick Apology.