Broken

Scarlet has been sick for as long as she can remember.  She has a genetic disorder called Long QT which basically means her heart doesn't beat in a normal rhythm and can stop at any time.  She has spent her sixteen years between the hospital and home.  She doesn't really know anyone besides her father and her stepmother, but Scarlet has made a decision.  She may be dying, but she doesn't want to go without experiencing life as a normal girl.

It wasn't easy to convince her parents to let her go to high school for a week, but the fact that her stepmother is the school nurse is a mark in her favor, and she'll be carrying her own AED, automated external defibrillator, around in her backpack just in case someone has to jump start her heart.

Because of her health issues and her zero experience in school, Scarlet is placed in a peer mentoring group where she meets her first real friends.  Jordan is a year older, gorgeous, and haunted by the past.  Nessa is perky and friendly to a manic degree, and Scarlet suspects she is trying to cover for something.  Then there is Celina with her sweatshirts and hoodies who used to be number one in the class, but now she's just withdrawn.

As Scarlet makes it through her first week of school, she learns that everyone has secrets sometimes even the people you think you know inside and out.  When a school assignment prompts Scarlet to look into her own medical history, she will learn the truth about her illness and her broken heart.

CJ Lyons's new book is full of drama and medical information.  It reads a little like a Lifetime Movie, but it is compelling and a great pick for people who love drama!