PUSH GIRL by Chelsie Hill and Jessica Love
An inspiring, real, and fresh young adult novel about how life can change in an instant by Chelsie Hill, one of the stars Sundance Channel's unscripted series Push Girls, based on her own life
Kara is a high school senior who's loving life. She's popular, has a great group of friends and an amazing boyfriend, and she's a shoo-in for homecoming queen. Even though her parents can't stop fighting and her ex-boyfriend can't seem to leave her alone, Kara won't let anything get in the way of her perfect year. It's Friday night, and Kara arrives at a party, upset after hearing her parents having another one of their awful fights, and sees another girl with her hands all over her boyfriend. Furious, Kara leaves to take a drive, and, as she's crossing an intersection, a car comes out of nowhere and slams into the driver's side of Kara's car.
When Kara wakes up, she has no memory of the night before. Where is she? Why are her parents crying? And, most importantly — why can't she feel her legs? As Kara is forced to adjust to her new life, where her friends aren't who they seemed to be and her once-adoring boyfriend is mysteriously absent, she starts to realize that what matters in life isn't what happens to you — it's the choices you make and the people you love.
Co-written by "Push Girls" star Chelsie Hill, whose real life closely mirrors Kara's experience, this novel will open the eyes of readers everywhere who have never met someone who lives with paralysis.
Kara is a high school senior who's loving life. She's popular, has a great group of friends and an amazing boyfriend, and she's a shoo-in for homecoming queen. Even though her parents can't stop fighting and her ex-boyfriend can't seem to leave her alone, Kara won't let anything get in the way of her perfect year. It's Friday night, and Kara arrives at a party, upset after hearing her parents having another one of their awful fights, and sees another girl with her hands all over her boyfriend. Furious, Kara leaves to take a drive, and, as she's crossing an intersection, a car comes out of nowhere and slams into the driver's side of Kara's car.
When Kara wakes up, she has no memory of the night before. Where is she? Why are her parents crying? And, most importantly — why can't she feel her legs? As Kara is forced to adjust to her new life, where her friends aren't who they seemed to be and her once-adoring boyfriend is mysteriously absent, she starts to realize that what matters in life isn't what happens to you — it's the choices you make and the people you love.
Co-written by "Push Girls" star Chelsie Hill, whose real life closely mirrors Kara's experience, this novel will open the eyes of readers everywhere who have never met someone who lives with paralysis.
Available Now!
Advance Praise for PUSH GIRL...
"Authors Hill and Love write a moving novel...This is an emotional story with elements any teen reader can relate to, primarily the search for one’s own identity. Readers will be inspired and moved by Kara’s amazing journey."
--Booklist
“A light, ultimately upbeat look at life after spinal cord injury.”
--Kirkus Reviews
"Kara's voice is so clear and so realistic that it pulls the reader in."
-VOYA
"The writing duo’s personal experiences informed the realistic dialogue and fully developed main character. Kara’s accepting her fate and the ups and downs of her relationships with family and friends will keep the attention of teens. This tearjerker is sure to be popular with readers."
-School Library Journal
“Push Girl’s Kara doesn’t want to be an inspiration, but she (and author Chelsie Hill) are exactly that in this honest, feisty, and painfully real story of one girl's adjustment to life on two wheels.”
—Deb Caletti, National Book Award finalist and author of The Queen of Everything and The Story of Us
"Push Girl is more than a survival story; it's about the power of turning pain and anger into hope and inspiration. Filled with heart and humor, it's an unforgettable, moving read."
--Tamara Ireland Stone, author of Time Between Us
“A compelling journey into Kara’s unforeseen, life-altering event and a revealing look at society’s various reactions to the physically challenged. It’s a story of love, desire and regret, tragedy, loss and triumph, of those who stand with you through the darkness and others who can’t, or simply won’t. We’re with Kara as she struggles to accept her post-accident life and forge new relationships with her friends, family and most importantly, herself. Push Girl is all life-as-normal, until suddenly, irreversibly it isn’t and Kara’s journey to build a new normal is a wrenching but ultimately triumphant one of strength, determination and heart. Go, Kara!”
—Laura Weiss, author of Such a Pretty Girl
“Push Girl is a tender, inspirational, and, most of all, important story about courage and adversity and never losing sight of who you are.”
—Jennifer Brown, author of Hate List
"Authors Hill and Love write a moving novel...This is an emotional story with elements any teen reader can relate to, primarily the search for one’s own identity. Readers will be inspired and moved by Kara’s amazing journey."
--Booklist
“A light, ultimately upbeat look at life after spinal cord injury.”
--Kirkus Reviews
"Kara's voice is so clear and so realistic that it pulls the reader in."
-VOYA
"The writing duo’s personal experiences informed the realistic dialogue and fully developed main character. Kara’s accepting her fate and the ups and downs of her relationships with family and friends will keep the attention of teens. This tearjerker is sure to be popular with readers."
-School Library Journal
“Push Girl’s Kara doesn’t want to be an inspiration, but she (and author Chelsie Hill) are exactly that in this honest, feisty, and painfully real story of one girl's adjustment to life on two wheels.”
—Deb Caletti, National Book Award finalist and author of The Queen of Everything and The Story of Us
"Push Girl is more than a survival story; it's about the power of turning pain and anger into hope and inspiration. Filled with heart and humor, it's an unforgettable, moving read."
--Tamara Ireland Stone, author of Time Between Us
“A compelling journey into Kara’s unforeseen, life-altering event and a revealing look at society’s various reactions to the physically challenged. It’s a story of love, desire and regret, tragedy, loss and triumph, of those who stand with you through the darkness and others who can’t, or simply won’t. We’re with Kara as she struggles to accept her post-accident life and forge new relationships with her friends, family and most importantly, herself. Push Girl is all life-as-normal, until suddenly, irreversibly it isn’t and Kara’s journey to build a new normal is a wrenching but ultimately triumphant one of strength, determination and heart. Go, Kara!”
—Laura Weiss, author of Such a Pretty Girl
“Push Girl is a tender, inspirational, and, most of all, important story about courage and adversity and never losing sight of who you are.”
—Jennifer Brown, author of Hate List
