At Odds

Content : One goal: perfection. But at what cost?

For Adrien, his final year of school is meant to be the one where he shines: he’ll get the best grades, be a role model for his little sister, make his mum proud. He’ll be perfect. But this year is also his last chance to prove he’s not just Adrien, the model teenager. That he’s so much more than that. So, between revision sessions, he has his first drink, flirts with a girl, starts an eco-club with his best friend… That’s how you’re supposed to do it, right? And it doesn’t matter if there aren’t enough hours in the day to fit everything in. Because he’s Adrien Boisselot — and he succeeds at everything he sets his mind to. No matter the cost. The problem is, when you try to fly too high, you risk burning out and falling hard.

A novel that dives deep into the heart of teenage struggles, told in a unique voice — in free verse. Adrien struggles with depression, but above all with issues that deeply affect 14- to 18-year-olds: eco-anxiety, the weight of having to decide what to do with their life, the fear of making the wrong choices, and the need to find themselves. It is an inclusive text, one that finds the right words to talk about what moves us and what frightens us at that age. A universal message, a character in whom every teenager can see themselves — with a positive ending that carries hope.

About the author:
Lolie Cherbonnel was born on the Breton coast in 2000, somewhere between the moorlands and the sea spray. As a child, she imagined herself standing atop a volcano, tracing the footsteps of dinosaurs, or soaring away on a magic broom. To avoid having to choose just one path, she turned to words — first those of others, and, eventually, her own. These days, when she’s not lost in nature or busy recreating a musical, you’ll most likely find her in a café, an iced latte by her side, while characters whisper their stories into her ear.