Nancy Rue tackles tough real-life issues in Boyfriends, Burritos and and Ocean of Trouble (paperback fiction). Bryn O'Connor has always enjoyed drama, but she encounters the wrong kind when she is forced to confront the fallout of her boyfriend's abuse. As Bryn tries to recover, she is helped by her surfer grandma and an unusual book.

Secrets? Bryn O'Connor is good at keeping secrets. But when a car accident reveals her boyfriend's abusive behavior, the truth is unleashed. And it starts a tidal wave of trouble in Bryn's life: enemies who were once friends, a restraining order violation, and her world unraveled. If that weren't enough, her grandmother Mim arrives, attempting Mexican cuisine and insisting that Bryn try surfing. It's all too much! Even Bryn's habit of daydreaming won't offer an escape this time. But could a mysterious book she found hold the secret to riding a tsunami like her life?

Romance goes terribly wrong in this second book in the author's Real Life series. Bryn, 15, is assaulted by her gorgeous boyfriend, Preston, and she tries to hide her bruises and deny her shame until her father discovers the abuse and makes her press charges. The court hearings drag on, and Bryn just wants to make it all go away. Meanwhile, Preston threatens her, and his in-crowd friends call her a drama queen and send her ugly text messages. Bryn finds help from her hip grandmother, who teaches Bryn to surf wild waves, and also from Jesus, who speaks to her from a contemporary version of the Book of Luke. Will she ever trust a boy and fall in love again? Romance does return when Bryn gets close with Sean, a cool surfer who supports her. Rue folds in quite a lot for one YA novel, but the secrets will grab readers, and the dialogue is right on target. ---- Hazel Rochman