High School Epic is a coming-of-age YA novel that follows Danielle from the first days of freshman year in 1989 through the messy, funny, dramatic, and sometimes painful moments of early adolescence. The story centers on Dani’s tight bond with her two best friends, her growing fixation on a skater boy named Kevin, and the quieter, heavier ache of her dad’s disappearance two years earlier. Built around friendships, crushes, family fractures, and the small-but-big moments that mark high school, the book blends teen romance and heartfelt drama in a voice that feels both nostalgic and relevant.

I found myself slipping into Dani’s head easily. Her voice feels like sitting on someone’s bedroom floor with the lights low while she tells you everything that’s been happening. There’s a looseness to the writing that works, especially in scenes with Tiff and Kris, who bounce off each other in a kind of chaotic harmony. Their friendship is loud and weird and sometimes exhausting, which is exactly why it feels real. The author leans into those small sensory moments that stick, like the smell of Dani’s dad’s sweater or the warm buzz of walking outside with Kevin after detention, without ever feeling showy. The tone stays grounded even when the drama spikes, which kept me on Dani’s side even when she spiraled or overthought things, which she does a lot.

What surprised me most is how layered Dani’s inner world is. The school crush storyline is fun and sweet and very YA-romance, but running right underneath is this deeper thread of loss and confusion around her dad. Those moments hit in a softer way, like when she tries on his sweater in the attic or clings to old fantasies of him returning. They add weight without dragging the story down. It also made her desperation to feel wanted by Kevin and her friends hit harder. The book captures that strange ninth-grade cocktail of insecurity and longing and sudden boldness, the way you can feel childish one minute and painfully grown the next. It felt honest and familiar.

I found myself thinking that High School Epic will speak most to readers who like contemporary YA that blends romance, friendship drama, and emotional family threads. It’s especially perfect for anyone who remembers the late ’80s or early ’90s, or just loves that vibe in their coming-of-age stories. If you want something that feels like reliving freshman year through a friend who tells it all, the awkward, the funny, the embarrassing, the sweet, this book is worth reading.

Pages: 353 | ASIN : B0FVFCL3YC