Heroine by Mindy McGinnis

 Heroine by Mindy McGinnis left me breathless.  I was blown away by this one.  It was a gut-punch of a read and left me stressed out on so many occasions.  And I mean all of that in the best way possible.  This was a story exploring the opioid epidemic and how it can and does play a role in the lives of today's teens.  McGinnis gives us an in depth look at addiction, how it takes hold, and the effects in can have in the life of a teen.  I really can't recommend this book highly enough.

Heroine tells the story of Mickey Catalan, an exceptional high school softball player who is gearing up for her senior season and a run at the state championship.  But when a car accident badly injures both her and her best friend Carolina, the team's star pitcher, Mickey has to find a way to get back to playing faster than anyone thinks is possible.  Her solution comes in the form of Oxy, a drug that was initially prescribed by her doctor post surgery.  Not only does the Oxy take away her pain, it makes her feel good too.  When her prescription runs out, Mickey is stuck trying to find a way to get her fix, while at the same time figuring out a way to continue to perform on the field.  Trying to keep it all together becomes more and more difficult and opens the possibility that it could all come crashing down on a once promising career.  Now Mickey has to try and figure out how to be the heroine that everyone has always viewed her as. 

From Amazon: 

An Amazon Best Book of the Month! A captivating and powerful exploration of the opioid crisis—the deadliest drug epidemic in American history—through the eyes of a college-bound softball star. Edgar Award-winning author Mindy McGinnis delivers a visceral and necessary novel about addiction, family, friendship, and hope.

When a car crash sidelines Mickey just before softball season, she has to find a way to hold on to her spot as the catcher for a team expected to make a historic tournament run. Behind the plate is the only place she’s ever felt comfortable, and the painkillers she’s been prescribed can help her get there.

The pills do more than take away pain; they make her feel good.

With a new circle of friends—fellow injured athletes, others with just time to kill—Mickey finds peaceful acceptance, and people with whom words come easily, even if it is just the pills loosening her tongue.

But as the pressure to be Mickey Catalan heightens, her need increases, and it becomes less about pain and more about want, something that could send her spiraling out of control.