Tess Whistle leads a nearly extraordinary life. Her parents are a mixture of born-again Christians and survivalists, her best friend has serious coping issues, and Tess is giving heavy thought to losing her virginity to her boyfriend, Ben, even though she always said she would wait for a ring. As Tess weaves throughout these issues, she finds out just how hard life is to control, even when control is what you want most.

LOST IT by Kristen Tracy holds one of the most unique character voices I've ever read. Tess sees the world in such an interesting, sometimes funny, sometimes melancholy, way. She is almost sad in a way (emotionally speaking) because of everything going on around her. She wants control so badly, because everyone around her seems to be lacking it. However, buried underneath that sadness is so much hope, and it's absolutely beautiful. Tess is extremely quirky and sometimes more than a little confusing, but you can't help but want her character to find some sort of peace.

Two main side characters, Tess's boyfriend, Ben, and her best friend, Zena, are also richly complex and add so much to the story. Ben has a history of illness, and he's very honest. Zena is more than a little crazy at times (for good reason), but she has such a good heart. Both of them in their relationships with Tess will give you heartbreak over the moments in life that you know can't always be perfect and warmth when sometimes they still give you a little hope to hold on to.

Kristen Tracy is a remarkable author with the complex and meaningful characters and plots she gives, and LOST IT shows that perfectly. It's easily a favorite of mine now, and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a story that will stay with you.