Other Words for Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal

Summary:(from goodreads) Ari Mitchell feels invisible at her Brooklyn high school. Her hair is too flat, her style too preppy, and her personality too quiet. And outside school, Ari feels outshined by her beautiful, confident best friend, Summer. Their friendship is as complex and confusing as Ari’s relationship with her troubled older sister, Evelyn, a former teenage mom whose handsome firefighter husband fills Ari’s head with guilty fantasies.When an unexpected inheritance enables Ari to transfer to an elite Manhattan prep school, she makes a wealthy new friend, Leigh. Leigh introduces Ari to the glamorous side of New York—and to her gorgeous cousin, Blake. Ari doesn't think she stands a chance, but amazingly, Blake asks her out. As their romance heats up, they find themselves involved in an intense, consuming relationship. Ari's family worries that she is losing touch with the important things in life, like family, hard work, and planning for the future. When misfortune befalls Blake's family, he pulls away, and Ari's world drains of color. As she struggles to get over the breakup, Ari must finally ask herself: were their feelings true love . . . or something else?
Review: I didn't really know that much about this book when I started it. However, I was pleasantly surprised by it. It did take me a little while to really get into it but once I did I really liked it. This book takes place in the 80's which was awesome, even though I kept forgetting about it especially in the first half. My favorite part of this book was all the characters. Ari was a character that I think a lot of people can relate to as she falls in love for the first time and deals with insecurities. Leigh, Blake, Del, Evelyn and Patrick were all great as well. The only ones who annoyed me were Ari's parents, especially her mom. She was serious and cirtical all the time and this is something that is starting to annoy me more than absent parents.  This book deals with love and relationships, but not only romantically. Ari learns how to be a good friend, daughter and lover. I will definitely read more by this author.