Books with author Monica Ropal

Cass is positive that the people she cares about most will eventually leave her. Her father is gone, her mother doesn't notice Cass exists, and her best friend's battle with cancer was too close of a call. So when she begins her year at a wealthy new private school, Cass's plan is to suffer through it in anonymity.However, when her cute locker neighbor, Cooper, shows an undeniable attraction toward Cass, keeping him at a safe distance isn't easy. Even though her Frogtown skater world and his do-gooder preppy one are so different, Cass and Cooper somehow mesh. But once Cass lets her guard down, the unthinkable happens: Cooper is mysteriously murdered—thus proving her original theory.When Cass's close friend is suspected as the killer, she isn't sure who she can trust anymore. Between investigating Cooper's murder and trying to understand what they really meant to each other, will Cass even find what she is looking for?

Cass has a theory: everyone eventually leaves. Her father walked out, her mother is starting a new family, and she almost lost her best friend to cancer.When Cass transfers to a preppy new private school, her plan is to stay anonymous by hiding her skater girl veneer beneath plaid skirts and knee socks. But when her cute locker neighbor, Cooper, takes an interest in Cass, keeping a safe distance isn't easy. And once Cass lets her guard down, the unthinkable happens: Cooper is mysteriously murdered.As the investigation unfolds, Cass's close friend, Gav, is suspected as the killer. Determined to find answers, she must go through her list one by one until somebody cracks. However, will uncovering the truth really give Cass what she is looking for?

A proud, gifted young man learns to overcome abuse. Dane, a high-school senior and ski team standout, is in a rehabilitation clinic in Florida, a thousand miles from his home in upstate New York. Guillain-Barre syndrome has paralyzed him completely, and doctors don't know when—or if—he'll regain the use of his body. When Anya, a young, no-nonsense woman, enters Dane's room and introduces herself as his physical therapist, Dane promptly sends her away. He's confident that he'll overcome this freakish illness without her superior attitude. Dane finds his occupational therapist more agreeable, and the two make quick progress on Dane's upper extremities. His legs are another matter. Dane understands quickly that if he wants to ski—or walk—again, he'll need to work with Anya. She and Dane reluctantly agree to develop his body strength, but as his family's visit to check his progress gets nearer, tension mounts. Dane's disdain for his friends, his family, and even his girlfriend grows clear, and his father's intolerance for failure becomes a consuming preoccupation. When the day of the visit arrives, a lifetime of subtle abuse either will cause Dane's icy mind to crack, or the young man will learn to thaw. An intense pain, tingling and electric, suddenly needles into my right calf, making me flinch. My breathing tries to speed up on me, but I catch it, forcing it back into the right rhythm. I close my teeth onto the insides of my cheeks and focus. Never lose control. —FROM THE BOOK