Sage is 16 and an orphan living with her father's half-sister. She strives to be a model teen, getting involved in activities and keeping good grades. She's been abused and placed in foster care before and never wants to return. Her tiny Illinois farm town is a tight community, and Sage has fit in by being the sidekick/best friend of Ryan, a gangly boy who is just beginning to pull off the 'hipster' look he's adopted. They've been inseparable besties for the past three years, and Sage often wonders why Ryan isn't interested romantically...still Sage looks on the bright side, always, and performs daily acts of kindness--like leaving post-it note affirmations on the lockers of kids when she sees they are having bad times. 
 A new guy moves into town, Shane Cavendish, and his worn clothes and general scruffiness are catnip to the bullies, headed by star athlete Dylan. Sage can't bear to see this kid shoved around, and decides to step in. For his part, Shane wants nothing to do with anyone. He's stunned that anyone takes any interest in him at all, and Sage's interest is really intense. She can see that he's had a rough life, perhaps rivaling her own, and wants to help, to show him that he is not alone. 
 They develop a tenuous friendship, which puts Ryan into Protector mode, but, beyond that, Sage starts to see the secrets behind her friendships, and Ryan's got some big-time explaining. Not that Sage is an open book. No, her shiny veneer hides a darkness that shouldn't see the light of a high school hallway. Unfortunately, she makes an enemy of Dylan who threatens to ruin her for her interference. 
 Thing is, the more Dylan threatens, the more friends Sage makes, and her acts of kindness do not go unnoticed. Plus, for the first time ever, it seems that a boy she likes actually reciprocates. Shane is in need of connection, and Sage is a force to be reckoned with in that regard. He is drawn into her knot of friendships and they explore dating in a quiet way, much to Ryan's chagrin. 
 I did enjoy the slow reveal of Sage's backstory. I adored her 'do-goodiness;' how she searched daily for someone she could cheer up with a kind note. I loved her relationship with her aunt, and how she refused to ride in a car because her dad died in a wreck. She is strong, and principled, and kind. She isn't nasty or mean, but can be fierce when pushed. 
 Shane is....*shakes head* *sighs* such a GREAT love interest. He is kind and compassionate and loving and all the things that Sage deserves. And she works very hard to get him, and to keep him, even when it means revealing more about herself than she ever planned to do. 
 This is an age-appropriate teen read with humor, heart and a relentless force for good leading the charge against bullies, pollution and neglect. I received an advance copy of this book via NetGalley.