Things are kind of falling apart for sixteen-year-old Delilah lately. School's not going so well, and her "sort of" boyfriend isn't really behaving like much of a boyfriend. Now she's just found out that she has to give up her summer to go to Vermont to clean out the house of her estranged grandmother who has recently died. She's not happy about it, but maybe finally, she'll be able to get to the bottom of things with her mother. Eight years ago her mother had a fight with her family, and she and Delilah haven't been back to Vermont since, but her mom won't talk about it. Delilah's summer is about to explode with emotion - new friendships, unexpected romance, answers about her family history, and tests of the bonds between mother and daughter.

Fixing Delilah is an engaging read, part exploration of family relationships and part summer romance. Delilah's family is fragmented and keeping secrets about a series of events several years ago. Both the return to the family home, and Delilah's insistence on pushing her mother for the truth eventually lead to distressing revelations that Delilah must find the strength to come to terms with. She leaves a boy behind with whom she had a purely physical escapist relationship (sneaking out in the night to hook up in the woods--sex is loosely implied, but never detailed). Her workaholic mom uses Xanax to deal with difficult situations. Clinical depression, and a possible suicide with an overdose of sleeping pills are part of the family history. Delilah's new friends in Vermont are there for her when things are most difficult with her mother, and her new boyfriend is supportive and solid even when Delilah tries to push him away in her distress. There is some graphic language, but it is very infrequent (f--k, sh-t, a-s).

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