"a wonderful coming-of-age thoughtful tale of personal agency and identity through amazing, emotional settings makes LaPera's novel a powerful and very worthy read." - Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite (5-Star Review) Two facts about Lake Los Angeles: one, there's no lake, and, two, it's nowhere near Los Angeles. That's where Kiara ends up after her parents' divorce-in the middle of nowhere-a land of Joshua trees, dust devils, and tumbleweeds. Kiara's mom calls it affordable housing; Kiara calls it hell.At a one-room schoolhouse alongside the dry lakebed, she meets Cole, a brilliant green-eyed boy, the first spark of joy in the vast emptiness of the Mojave Desert-a place without sidewalks or streetlights. He's her friend, but could he be more?Kiara feels forgotten and alone as she parents herself and her younger brother. Growing up in the 1980s and 90s, she loathes the world she's thrown into, a maze of double-crossing girls, mixed messages from guys, friends laden with trauma, and a single mom who always slams her door and cries.When combat-boot wearing Carolyn shows up on the scene, Kiara doesn't know what to think. Who can she trust if she can't even trust herself?There is a life beyond the desert. In her heart, she knows it.Can she dare to dream a way out?​​​​​​​EDITORIAL REVIEWS" a raw and unfiltered picture of how treacherous adolescence can a heartfelt tale of resilience and hope."- Publishers Weekly BookLife "Filled with moments of daring, realization, a treasure trove of thought-provoking insights wound into one young adult's certainty that, despite what life circumstances hands her, she will not only survive, but grow."- D. Donovan, Sr. Reviewer, Midwest Book Review * All books in the Desert of Dreams Series are standalone novels with interconnected characters. Each book features a different character's coming-of-age story told during a similar timeline.Content Warning: Different books in the Desert of Dreams Series address sensitive but important topics which may include bullying and peer pressure; troubled sibling relationships; struggling friendships and romantic relationships; divorce; religion; racism and classism; historical events of the late 1980s and 1990s; death; neglect and abuse (physical, emotional, and/or sexual); trauma (generational and situational); drugs, alcohol, and sex; teen pregnancy; and mental illness including depression, suicidal ideation, PTSD, and anxiety. Amanda LaPera is an award-winning author, speaker, teacher, and mental health advocate. She lives in California with her husband, sons, and dogs, and immensely enjoys sunsets. Two facts about Lake Los Angeles: one, there's no lake, and, two, it's nowhere near Los Angeles. During the 1980s and 90s, kids find themselves stuck in this remote town, a land of Joshua trees, dust devils, and tumbleweeds. Their parents call it affordable housing; they call it hell.As teens, this unlikely group band together to survive the harsh conditions of their destructive home lives and the isolation of the desert. They support each other's dreams of a better life, but the world isn't on their side. They learn it's the hard choices they make in life that determine who they will become and what they might have to leave behind.The Desert of Dreams Series-Trauma. Resilience. Hope

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