Stronger Than the Storm

Book excerpt: Lacey's mom always tells her, "Life is messy." Now, she knows what that means.Type the words "Life's a..." into a Google search, and the first thing that pops up is "beach." This implies living at the beach is an idyllic dream come true. Having lived at the beach, or what New Jerseyans call "Down the Shore," all their lives, fifteen-year-old Lacey Freshet and her friends didn't understand the sentiment. They felt their teenage-problem-filled lives were more like the roller coaster they rode regularly in nearby Seaside Heights with its many ups and downs, twists and turns. But everything changed when Hurricane Sandy tossed that roller coaster into the Atlantic Ocean like a child's discarded toy. This is their storyALL PROCEEDS FROM THIS NOVEL ARE BEING DONATED TO THE PEOPLE'S PANTRY, TOMS RIVER, AND HELPING HANDS, THE FOOD PANTRY AT BROOKDALE COMMUNITY COLLEGE.