In Avery’s perfectly executed handwriting was the question: Why is it so important that I play this game anyway?
And then below that, in smaller, back-slated scrawl, the reply: The game can be cruel, but it can set you free.
Steven Byrd has been obsessed with Avery Adams for years, in spite of the fact that Avery can’t stand him. So when Steven accidentally discovers that Avery is involved in some sort of game, Steven is desperate to play, too. This might be his chance to get to know Avery, to show her that he is worth knowing. But Steven and his friend Tala have no idea what they are getting into, when Avery and her boyfriend Connor let them into the game.
The game seems little more than a silly kids’ party game, but when they play it by Connor’s rules, everyone who plays find they are being pushed in ways they could never have expected.
Headgames is a story about secrets, honesty and friendships. The five teens involved in the game which runs throughout the book are quite different, but all have secrets and realities they need to confront. Through the course of the novel, each of the five is challenged by the others, and by events outside the game, to confront those secrets and move forwards.
Dealing with issues including family, acceptance and sexuality, this is an absorbing young adult read.
Headgames, by Casey Lever
Random House, 2010
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