Laila Piedra doesnโt drink, doesnโt smoke, and definitely doesnโt sneak into the 21-and-over clubs on the Lower East Side. The only sort of risk Laila enjoys is the peril she writes for the characters in her stories: epic sci-fi worlds full of quests, forbidden love, and robots. Her creative writing teacher has always told her she has a special talent. But three months before graduation, Lailaโs number one fan is replaced by Nadiya Nazarenko, a Pulitzer Prizeโwinning novelist who sees nothing at all special about Lailaโs writing.
A growing obsession with gaining Nazarenkoโs approvalโand fixing her first-ever failing gradeโleads to a series of unexpected adventures. Soon Laila is discovering the psychedelic highs and perilous lows of nightlife, and the beauty of temporary flings and ambiguity. But with her sanity and happiness on the line, Laila must figure out if enduring the unendurable really is the only way to greatness.