After the Ink Dries

Courtney Summers meets Deb Caletti in this "all too believable" (Publishers Weekly) page-turning suspense story about a teen girl--reeling in the wake of betrayed trust--who learns what it is to face hard truths about yourself and others, and how to find strength when you need it most.

Sixteen-year-old Erica Walker is a webcomic artist who wants to fit in at her affluent new high school. Seventeen-year-old Thomas VanBrackel is an aspiring songwriter and reluctant lacrosse goalie who wants out from under his father's thumb. After their electric first kiss at Saturday's lacrosse match, Erica and Thomas both want to see where their new relationship could take them.

The next morning, however, following a drunken house party, Erica wakes up half-clothed, and discovers words and names drawn in Sharpie in intimate places on her body--names belonging to Thomas's lacrosse friends, including the boyfriend of Erica's best friend. Devastated, Erica convinces herself Thomas wasn't involved in this horrific so-called prank...until she discovers Thomas's name on her skin, too.

Told in alternating viewpoints, Erica seeks to uncover what happened while battling to keep evidence of her humiliation from leaking out, as Thomas grapples with his actions and who he thought he was. Woven throughout, illustrated graphic novel interstitials depict Erica's alter ego superhero, Erica Strange, whose courage just might help Erica come through to the other side.

Author: Cassie Gustafson
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Published: 07/20/2021
Pages: 416
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.05lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.50w x 1.40d
ISBN: 9781534473690
Audience: Young Adult


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 05/31/2021
Kirkus Reviews 06/01/2021
School Library Journal 07/01/2021 pg. 71

About the Author
Cassie Gustafson hails from Northern California and majored in words, earning a dual-BA in comparative literature and Spanish at University of California at Santa Barbara, an MA in English literature at Cal State Fullerton, and an MFA in writing for young adults at Hollins University. Before finding her way to writing, she served high tea at a five-star B&B, tended plants in a lavender greenhouse, and nannied and taught preschool. Cassie enjoys ping-ponging around the globe with her adventurous pilot husband and their fluffy black kitty. Depending on the day, you may find her working on her next novel or toppling over in a yoga class somewhere. Cassie's work has garnered the PEN New England Susan P. Bloom Discovery Award, the Shirley Henn Creative Writing Award, and the Ruth Landers Glass Scholarship. Visit her at CassieGustafson.com.