Girl Against the Universe by Paula Stokes

“What happens when the girl who’s lost everything meets the boy who has it all?”

“Maguire is bad luck.

No matter how many charms she buys off the internet or good luck rituals she performs each morning, horrible things happen when Maguire is around. Like that time the rollercoaster jumped off its tracks. Or the time the house next door caught on fire. Or that time her brother, father, and uncle were all killed in a car crash—and Maguire walked away with barely a scratch.

It’s safest for Maguire to hide out in her room, where she can cause less damage and avoid meeting new people who she could hurt. But then she meets Jordy, an aspiring tennis star. Jordy is confident, talented, and lucky, and he’s convinced he can help Maguire break her unlucky streak. Maguire knows that the best thing she can do for Jordy is to stay away. But it turns out staying away is harder than she thought.” - taken from Goodreads.com

What could have turned out to be a sad book based on all that has happened in Maguire's life, it’s not. As she is leaving a session at her therapist's office, a cute boy waiting takes notice of her and speaks. Not really wanting to get involved with him, she doesn’t play at hard to get, she is. It’s not until Maguire decides to try out for her new school’s tennis team at the suggestion of Dr. Leeds that she learns who the boy is. Jordy Wheeler is a tennis prodigy and making the team brings the two of them together. Soon, Maguire not only finds herself drawn into Jordy’s world, but also the girls on her team. Starting to make new friends and working on a bucket list of fears to overcome before heading to Ireland on a plane, Maguire learns from Jordy that maybe she isn’t a walking curse.

This is a book of overcoming one’s fears, making new friendships, a first time relationship, and opening up to your family to see that life can overcome tragedy. A definite read!

Visit Paula Stokes’ website.