Nic is in love with Ben, but that ends when she makes the unwise decision at a party to sleep with Jordan. Combine that with her mother's past numerous affairs and Nic finds the word WHORE scrawled on her locker.
Determined to ace her AP classes and use senior year to earn her way into Princeton, Nic basically puts on blinders and focuses on school. Known as a smart kid and also an excellent writer, she is approached by several students who ask her to write their college application essays. She agrees for a $300 fee even though she doesn't need the money. She finds she has a talent for uncovering the deepest secrets of her classmates and is able to make them extremely personal.
Focusing on the personal issues of others allows Nic to avoid thinking about Ben and also the mother who abandoned her without a goodbye or even a phone number. However, Nic discovers that you can't run away from your problems forever. Facing them could be an even greater challenge than getting accepted to an Ivy League school.
Written in verse with the odd college essay slipped in, 500 WORDS OR LESS takes a peek at the stress and pressure of high school seniors as they make life-altering decisions before they are fully able to comprehend their places in the world. Author Juleah Del Rosario's novel is quite relatable for current teens or anyone remembering that time of pressure and indecision.
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