On the whole, I liked this--Virginia's voice rings true, especially as a teen with a massive inferiority complex thanks to her outwardly-perfect family. I really liked seeing Virginia come into her own and really start accepting herself, doing things that make HER happy instead of her mom. 
 But I wouldn't be me if I didn't have a complaint or two--in this case, the first focuses on the stereotypically Ironically Bad Parenting. Her mom is an adolescent psychiatrist and yet leaves Virginia home alone every weekend and doesn't go out of her way to talk to her? Doesn't try to talk to her in the wake of What Byron Did, or understand that, with everything going on, Virginia really needs to visit her best (and pretty much only) friend? Lady, that's Bad Parenting 101, and also kind of lazy to force that sort of IRONY into the book. At least if Mom TRIED, or wasn't a psychiatrist--but the combination is just absurd. Complaint #2 is the clumsy self-injury talk, particularly when Virginia thinks about cutting herself--the thoughts she expresses sound like the author read a book about cutters and crammed in the textbook signs and reasons, without worrying about making it seem natural to the character. (Insert argument about Virginia trying out new roles and maybe "cutter" will be one of them, but I didn't get the impression that's what was going on.) 
 But--I liked it, and I can see the appeal. I probably won't run right out and grab another Carolyn Mackler book right away, but this was enjoyble enough.