• Age: 14 to 18
• Grade: 9 to 12

There are two sides to every story.       It’s friends-at-first-sight for Jessie and Annie, proving the old adage that opposites attract. Shy, anxious Jessie would give anything to have Annie’s beauty and confidence. And Annie thinks Jessie has the perfect life, with her close-knit family and killer grades. They're BFFs . . . until suddenly they're not. Told through alternating points of view, How It Ends is the story of a friendship from first meeting to breakup, set against a tumultuous sophomore year of bullying, boys, and backstabbing.       Catherine Lo makes her debut with an honest, nuanced tale about the intricacies of female friendship.

Catherine Lo is the author of How It Ends, which Jeff Zentner called “as harrowing and realistic a look at the life cycle of a young friendship as I’ve ever seen.” She has spent the last decade and a half as a teacher working with at-risk youth—or, as she would call it, “researching.” She lives outside of Toronto with her husband and two children.

Catherine Lo's profile page

"A thoughtful depiction of teen friendship and the competing costs of concealing—and revealing—the truth."
—Kirkus

"As harrowing and realistic a look at the life cycle of a young friendship as I've ever seen. It's by turns funny, warm, soulful, and heart wrenching. The author's work with teens shines through in her razor sharp dialogue."
—Jeff Zentner, author ofThe Serpent King

"How It Ends is a realistic story about the beautiful complexities of friendship, from the first meeting to the first betrayal, and all the secrets and self-discovery in-between. Totally compelling."
—Alexis Bass, author of Love & Other Theories