One Lonely Degree

BOOKS

Finn’s family is falling apart at the same time she’s falling for her best friend’s boyfriend. As the school year transitions into summer, Finn’s father moves out and her mother retreats to her bedroom. Her confidante, Audrey, is sent on a forced vacation for dating Jersy, Finn’s childhood friend, and Finn finds herself increasingly attracted to Jersy’s supposed stability. Martin delivers the same genuine and powerful voice in her sophomore novel that garnered praise for I Know It’s Over (2008). Finn embodies the outsider teen, with her forays into reinvention and concomitant retreats into familiar territory. Authentic emotions resonate throughout the text, and the upbeat ending flows naturally from the story rather than being forced into the summer-romance archetype. Readers will find strains of Sara Zarr and Laurie Halse Anderson in the prose, but the author is innovative, not derivative. The perfect temperature for a summer read or a cool discussion, and an outstanding second novel.

— Kirkus Reviews, Starred review

One summer changes everything for a troubled teen in "One Lonely Degree" by C.K. Kelly Martin.

Finn's problems really start before the summer begins. Her only close friend is Audrey, and Audrey is the only one who knows what happened at a party with Adam Porter. Finn's parents are fighting all the time and it scares her and her brother. When an old friend of her mom's moves back to town with her now handsome son, Finn's friendly to Jersy, but Audrey is the one who falls for him. Soon Audrey and Jersy are using Finn as their cover story to sneak around together. Finn's getting sick of it, but things go from bad to worse when they're caught. Audrey is shipped away to an aunt's for the summer, leaving Finn and Jersy behind.

Finn's stuck working the job the two of them were going to do together and somehow, hanging out with Jersy. But as the two become closer and Finn tells him about Adam and about her parents' break-up, it becomes apparent that they want to be together. And Finn will have to deal with the consequences of this with Audrey.

A story about changing relationships, this is a interesting read about one girl's summer and how everything in her life changes.

— News and Sentinel (Amy Mendenhall)

After reading C.K. Kelly Martin’s novel, I find myself hesitant to recommend it to the suggested 14+ age group. A tale of a young girl struggling to get through high school, Finn’s story is genuine and relatable. However there are some parts that are a little mature for this audience. A near-rape experience, rough language, and “stoner” references, my suggestion is for parents to try and read One Lonely Degree before their teenage daughters.

All age-appropriate debates aside, the author demonstrates a deep understanding of the complex mind of a young teenage girl. Dealing with the deterioration of her parents’ marriage, well-founded trust issues with boys and a complicated, growing crush on her best friend’s boyfriend (who also happens to be her long, lost childhood friend), Finn bravely tackles all the challenges St. Mark’s High School throws her way.

References to a mysterious night four months ago will keep your curiosity rising until Finn finally explains that party, that night with Adam Porter that left her emotionally shaken - although she’d never show it.

Martin captures the essence of the teenage girl who just can’t seem to find her place in a truly authentic way. And maybe I’m naïve or old-fashioned, but I found One Lonely Degree a little too mature for the 14+ audience.

— Kiwi Magazine

Set in suburban Toronto, this is a painfully realistic novel about a fifteen-year-old girl named Finn. Finn appears normal on the surface. She has a best friend, loves music, does well in school, and dreams of being a graphic designer in New York or London one day; but, inside, she carries a secret that makes her feel like a freakish outsider in her own life. Audrey, her best friend, is the only one who knows the truth. Audrey is sent away for the summer though, and Finn is left to fend for herself. On top of all of this, Finn's parents are getting divorced, and she has no idea what to do with her feelings of resentment and anger towards her father. As she and Audrey's boyfriend, Jersy, begin spending more and more time together, it becomes difficult to hide their feelings for each other. Finn feels torn between her love for her best friend and her blossoming feelings for this "Beautiful Boy" who makes her feel normal again. This young adult novel is well-written, with realistic dialogue and likable characters. Sexual content, references to drug use, and adult language make it suitable for older teens.

— Stephanie Dawley, Children's Literature

Finn isn’t the girl she used to be before – before the party when her life changed.

Only her BFF, Audrey, knows about that night. Now she’s just a shell of her old self, not wanting to take a chance on anything.

When a former friend moves back to town, she knows he’s gotten hotter. While she’s interested, she can’t bring herself to do anything about her crush. When Audrey asks her if she would mind if she dates Jersy, Finn immediately says no. After all she’s done for her, Audrey needs a little happiness, too.

Soon she becomes the third wheel, and when Audrey’s mom and dad find out, she becomes a convenient excuse. When Audrey’s parents send her away over the summer, Finn doesn’t know what to do with herself. She gets a job, but without her BFF, she’s lonely. Plus, her own parents are breaking up.

She needs someone to turn to. Will that someone be Jersy?

C.K. Kelly Martin creates another wonderfully awkward love story with One Lonely Degree.

— Jennifer Rummel, Teens Read Too

About One Lonely Degree
Watch the book trailer
Read Chapters One & Two