"A well-crafted and resonant novel about an overburdened teenage girl's journey toward self-realization."— Kirkus ReviewsSeventeen-year-old Lauren is a closet poet trying to keep her messy family together. She juggles responsibility for her two younger sisters and her bipolar mother. When her allegedly now sober father wants back into their lives to reconnect, everything spins out of control and Lauren's writing is her only escape.Just a Girl in the Whirl is about family, forgiveness and being bold enough to create your own life, your own way.Praise for Just a Girl in the Whirl A beautifully crafted coming-of-age story that captures the challenges of adolescence amidst the responsibilities of surrogate parenthood.—Mary Lann