The James Logan Courier

By Kayleen Garingan, Courier Staff Writer

Leftovers written by Laura Weiss is a novel about two teenage best friends named Ardith and Blair. Ardith is the more motivated character because her parents are alcoholics. She tries desperately not to fall into their footsteps and works extremely hard in school with a perfect record under her belt. On the other hand, Blair is the rich one with her mother being a workaholic and super strict. She and Ardith are not allowed to be friends because of their family backgrounds, but in the end they always find their way back to one another.

This book is very family orientated. It shows how girls get over hardships, like heartache and sexual abuse, drugs, alcohol, and drama. Leftovers prove how valuable friendship is in a person’s life and how family can influence you in either a good or bad way. It shows how broken families bounce back from the worst and how determination can really change ones life.


The drama in this book is really convincing since its all about teenagers. From bullying to popularity, Laura Wiess captures the essence of teenage love, rumors and everything high schoolers have to offer. With a little bit mystery, this novel goes a long way to show how one simple detail can turn into a bunch of dirty little lies.

I recommend this novel to all teenage girls because it’s a great read and easy to relate to. The beginning captures you and the end leaves you questioning your own life. Leftovers is true, honest and blunt, an overall great novel.