Powerful

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Tom Leveen continues to grow as a writer and I am always excited to see what he has brought forth next.  Random was an incredible story, sure to be popular because of the subject matter.  Tori and her friends are being prosecuted for their influence in causing another teen to commit suicide.  This is a tough, tough book.  What I love about Leveen's characters, as I said in my review of manicpixiedreamgirl, is that they not all good or all bad.  Just like real people, they are complex.  As heinous as Tori's crime is, I still found myself feeling sympathy for her.  The night before she is to give her plea, she answers a wrong number on her cell phone and the boy on the other end is contemplating suicide.  Their all-nighter conversation reveals a lot about Tori, to us and to herself.  Tori and her friends did much of their bullying online, which makes this book even more relevant.  Random comes out later this year, many thanks to Simon Pulse for providing the eARC through Edelweiss.