Chronically Dolores

By Maya Van Wagenen

A chronic illness and an unlikely friendship may lead to betrayal.

4.0/5 Goodreads · 589 ratings

320 pages· 75,204 words· Est. 8.5 hour read

$18.99Save 5%

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Bookroo's summary

Dolores Mendoza's life is upended by a chronic illness, leaving her isolated and desperate. Enter Terpsichore, a homeschooled, autistic girl with a flair for the dramatic. Together, they hatch a plan: Terpsichore will help Dolores reclaim her lost friendship, while Dolores will prove Terpsichore's readiness for public school. But as their bond deepens, Dolores's unreliable narration and risky decisions threaten to unravel everything. Can their fragile alliance withstand the pressures of teenage life, or will Dolores's choices lead to an unforgivable betrayal?

From the publisher

Winner of The Schneider Family Book Award, for excellence in portraying the disability experience! Maya Van Wagenen, bestselling author of Popular, tells Dolores’s story with humor, heartache, and an occasional bit of telenovela flair. “A striking fiction debut.” –Publishers Weekly, starred review”An insightful, funny, and realistic coming-of-age story.” –Kirkus Dolores Mendoza is not thriving. She was recently diagnosed with a chronic bladder condition called interstitial cystitis. The painful disease isn’t life-threatening, but it is threatening to ruin her life. Just when things seem hopeless, Dolores meets someone poised to change her fate. Terpsichore Berkenbosch-Jones is glamorous, autistic, and homeschooled against her will by her overprotective mother. After a rocky start, the girls form a tentative partnership. Beautiful, talented Terpsichore will help Dolores win back her ex-best friend, Shae. And Dolores will convince Terpsichore’s mom that her daughter has the social skills to survive public school. It seems like a foolproof plan, but Dolores isn’t always a reliable narrator, and her choices may put her in danger of committing an unforgivable betrayal.

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