Macy Queen

Macy Queen is a 17-year-old high school student and the book's central character. When the book opens, she is a serious student focused on studying for her SATs and maintaining an appearance of perfection both in her physical appearance and her behavior. The past two years of Macy's life have been shaped by her father's sudden death from a heart attack that occurred while he was running. Macy's grief is complicated by a sense of guilt because she usually ran with her father, but on the day he died, she chose to sleep longer instead.

Macy begins the summer between her junior and senior years by sending her boyfriend, Jason Talbot, off to "brain camp" and taking over his job at the public library. Her life begins to take a turn when she impulsively takes a second job with Wish Catering, where she becomes friends with a...