Anatomy of a Misfit

“It’s rare that a book can be as funny and absolutely delightful as it is moving and thought provoking, and Anatomy of a Misfit is both.” —Lauren Oliver, author of Before I Fall

Anika Dragomir is the third-most-popular girl at Pound High School. But inside, she knows she’s a freak; she can’t stop thinking about former loner Logan McDonough, who showed up on the first day of tenth grade hotter, bolder, and more mysterious than ever.

Logan is fascinating, troubled, and off limits. The Pound High queen bee will make Anika’s life hell if she’s seen with him.

So Anika must choose—ignore her feelings and keep her social status? Or follow her heart and risk becoming a pariah. Which will she pick?

And what will she think of her choice when an unimaginable tragedy strikes, changing her forever? Part Morgan Matson, part Nicola Yoon, this incredible YA voice narrates a story Teen Vogue calls “perfection in book form.”

Outside, Anika Dragomir is all lip gloss and blond hair—the third most popular girl in school.

Inside, she's a freak. A mix of dark thoughts, diabolical plots, and, if local chatter is to be believed, vampire DNA. After all, her father is from Romania. Everyone else in Nebraska is about as American as an apple pie . . . wrapped in a flag . . . on the Fourth of July.

Spider stew. That's what Anika is made of. But she keeps it under wraps to maintain her social position. One step out of line and Becky Vilhauser, first most popular girl in school, will make her life a living hell.

So when former loner Logan McDonough shows up one September hotter, smarter, and more mysterious than ever, Anika knows she can't get involved. It would be insane to throw away her social safety for a nerd. So what if that nerd is now a black-leather-jacket-wearing dreamboat, and his loner status is clearly the result of his troubled home life?

Who cares if the right girl could help him with all that, maybe even save him from it . . . ?

Logan. Who needs him when Jared Kline, the bad boy every girl dreams of, is asking her on dates?

Who?

Andrea Portes's emotionally devastating debut YA novel lays bare the futility in pretending to be something we're not and the value in finally celebrating all that we are—inside.

“Portes’s short chapters and staccato narration make for a quick and compulsive read.” - Publishers Weekly

PRAISE FOR ANDREA PORTES: “Portes writes with such cool grace we almost forget to be astonished by her narrative’s complexity.” - Matthew Specktor, American Dream Machine

“Fifteen-year-old Anika Dragomir throws her arms around us and draws us in from the very beginning… Droll, intimate, often laugh-out-loud funny narration carries the reader through more than 300 pages... Anika’s winning voice may just be the star of Portes’s first young adult novel.” - New York Times Book Review

“It’s rare that a book can be as funny and absolutely delightful as it is moving and thought provoking, and Anatomy of a Misfit is both.” - Lauren Oliver, author of Before I Fall

“Andrea Portes writes with the tip of a knife, shape-shifting between characters and laying bare their darkest secrets.” - Dylan Landis, Normal People Don't Live Like This

“Anika Dragomir is the funniest, snarkiest, most insightful misfit a reader could ever hope to meet. I laughed my way through Anatomy of a Misfit right up until the very end, when the book broke my heart into a million pieces. This is a beautiful, brave and powerful novel.” - Melissa Kantor, author of Maybe One Day and The Breakup Bible

“A self-deprecating and highly memorable heroine whose bawdy, laceratingly funny narration makes her instantly endearing while also revealing her flaws, uncertainties, and ethical quandaries.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“… a romance filled with seriously funny dark humor and tragedy.” - Kirkus Reviews

“Anika’s droll voice shines, and her emotions are palpable. After a heartbreaking tragedy, Anika’s ending . . . will leave readers cheering.” - School Library Journal

“Anika’s observations are razor-sharp, especially when she is describing other people… An introductory note says the story is based on the author’s ninth-grade experience. What a year.” - The Horn Book