S6 E63 with YA Contemporary Author Tara Hodgson

When the volleyball hits the floor mere inches from Reese’s hands, her dreams of playing college ball shatter.
After consecutive failures on the court, in the classroom, and in her relationships, she’s done playing the part of perfect daughter, perfect student, and perfect athlete. It’s time for a new life. 
Enter Cassie Brentwood.
Bold. Reckless. Free. Cassie is everything Reese isn’t yet longs to be. They quickly become friends and Cassie introduces her to Liam, a mysterious guy from Snapchat. Blinded by his love bombing and the desperation to shed her perfect image, Reese plunges head first into their world. It feels instantly thrilling… until it’s not. 
Girls are disappearing from nearby towns, however no one in their quiet small town seems concerned.
But when Liam’s behaviour grows darker, Reese’s new life begins to unravel. She ignores the warnings. The red flags. The little voice screaming to her that something’s not right. Until she’s far from home, trapped in a nightmare she can’t escape. 
With no one left to trust, Reese has to fight to reclaim the life she was so eager to leave behind. She wanted freedom. Now, she just wants to go home. 
At least she has to try. 
Told with searing honesty and lyrical depth, At Least I’m Tryingis a poignant novel about mental health, girlhood, and what happens when the version of yourself you’ve worked so hard to become starts to fall apart.

Tara Hodgson is the YA contemporary author of Chasing Through Time and At Least I’m Trying. As a long-time teacher, she is passionate about communicating the potential implications of a technology-centred world and spark necessary conversations about these impacts on teens, using her fiction to do so.

She lives on an acreage in Sturgeon County, Alberta with her husband, two children, and a crew of cats and dogs. When she isn't teaching or writing, she is reading. She loves all genres of books, but especially YA Contemporary, Fantasy, and Dystopian (but she’ll read anything, really!) She spends her down time walking, camping, boating, and relaxing at home with her family and animals.

Find Tara and her books at: http://www.tarahodgson.ca/