Heartbreak Cafe

Debbie Lesley is living a dream life: she's popular at school, has loving parents, a great boyfriend and a car. But when her parents get divorced, and she's no longer the centre of their world, her American teenage-dream life starts to crack. Her mum can't afford all the luxuries Debbie was used to: now that she's no longer a member of the country club and has to pay for her own car it's time she takes some responsibility for herself.

A chance meeting at the beach lands her a job at the Heartbreak Cafe - she needs the job but Joe, the boy who runs the cafe, gives her a hard time. Debbie's stubbornness fuels her mission to prove him wrong; and to prove to herself and her parents that she is tougher than they might think.

Originally published in the 80s, Heartbreak Cafe (the first in a series) is a fun, typically American story in the tradition of TV shows like Beverly Hills 90210. Debbie is a likeable, yet slightly spoilt and overly dramatic 16-year-old teen. Set in California in 1989, her quest to forge her identity outside of the fickle luxuries of the country club, debate club and prom, provides an enjoyable summer read for teens and young adults.