Softcover

ISBN 10: 0142426334 ISBN 13: 9780142426333

Publisher: Speak, 2013

An award-winning, realistic novel about the consequences of bullying and suicide.

Noelle's life is all about survival. Even her best friend doesn't know how much she gets bullied, or the ways her mom neglects her. Noelle's kept so much about her life a secret for so long that when her longtime crush Julian Porter starts paying attention to her, she's terrified. Surely it's safer to stay hidden than to risk the pain of a broken heart. But when the torment of a friend takes a dramatic turn, Noelle realizes it's time to stand up for herself...and for the love that makes her keep holding on.
Keep Holding On is an empowering, resonant story that will inspire readers to stay strong and never give up.

From the Author:

When I was a teen, I would have been mortified to admit that I was being bullied. My teen years were the worst time of my life. Kids tormented me for being the poor kid at the rich kids' school, a hardcore science nerd who wrote song lyrics on her sneakers before that was a thing. I felt desperately alone and embarrassed by all the ways I didn't fit in.

I am not embarrassed anymore.

Writing Keep Holding On was my way of turning a negative experience into something positive. I want this book to reach out to every single teen who feels depressed, neglected, ostracized, or misunderstood. I want this book to help them feel less alone. And hopefully, this story will inspire readers in need to keep holding on.

From the Inside Flap:

Chew.Swallow.Chew.Swallow.Don't look up.
Lunch is the worst, but there's no safe place at school for Noelle. Keeping her mortifying home life a secret and trying to ignore the kids who make her life miserable are Noelle's survival strategies. Her emotionally distant boyfriend, Matt, isn't the one she really wants to be with. But there's no way she could ever be with Julian Porter.
When Julian starts talking to her, Noelle is terrified. It seems safer to stay with Matt than risk a broken heart. But when the bullying of a friend goes too far, Noelle realizes it's time to stand up for herself - and for everything that makes her keep holding on.