Real and Moving - How to Save a Life

About the book (from sarazarr.com):

Jill MacSweeney just wishes everything could go back to normal. But ever since her dad died, she’s been isolating herself from her boyfriend, her best friends—everyone who wants to support her. And when her mom decides to adopt a baby, it feels like she’s somehow trying to replace a lost family member with a new one.
Mandy Kalinowski understands what it’s like to grow up unwanted—to be raised by a mother who never intended to have a child. So when Mandy becomes pregnant, one thing she’s sure of is that she wants a better life for her baby. It’s harder to be sure of herself. Will she ever find someone to care for her, too?

As their worlds change around them, Jill and Mandy must learn to both let go and hold on, and that nothing is as easy—or as difficult—as it seems.

This book was an interesting read. Chapters alternate between Jill’s and Mandy’s point of view. 

Each girl is facing her own battles. Jill’s father died months before and now her relationships with friends and her boyfriend Dylan have suffered. Before his death her dad and mom had talked about adopting a child. Now, in her own way of dealing with grief, Jill’s mom wants to adopt a baby. Through a website Jill’s mom and Mandy connect.

Mandy has a lot of “rules” for how the adoption has to take place. Chapter by chapter we learn about her past and wonder about her future. We watch as Mandy becomes less a scared and scarred little girl and more a young woman ready to face her life.

Jill is dealing with her grief in a different fashion, by withdrawing from everyone and everything. When she reconnects with someone from her high school, she finally finds someone who can reach into her grief and help her start to heal.