Now in My Bookbag: 1983 Cruel Summer, (Love in the 80's), by Amber Lynn Natusch

This is a good novella. While some of the plot follows a somewhat standard design, (i.e. woman scorned, stuck in town she hates, forced to get a job, runs into first love), there are facts added throughout the story to make it belong solely to Natusch.

I like these characters. Braxton and Izzy, were cruelly manipulated apart many years ago. The circumstances surrounding that manipulation are creative, imaginative, and maniacal. The truth, once revealed, fractures everything Izzy thinks she knows about her past.

Braxton is a broken man without access to the one girl he will always love. He has a secret that, once told, he hopes will draw her to him once again. Izzy (also broken) has a terrible secret, one that she hopes will never come out. She should know better in a town this size. You know what they say about people in glass houses.

The interaction between the characters is enlightening. The ending is exciting and revealing. I think that the second half of the book is more interesting than the first, and it definitely helps the rating. 3 1/4 stars