AustLit

'Ruby was named after a song about freedom, but she's far from free. She's trapped by her mum's accident, her past as a famous pianist a distant memory. This was never the plan - both of them invisible and voiceless in a dusty small town. And Ruby wants to be heard.

'But that was before Joey Milano.

'Before that awful party.

'Now the only thing Ruby's sure of is that she'll never ever trust anyone again.

'When the opportunity of a lifetime comes knocking, and a boy from her past reaches out, Ruby's not fooled. Some things are broken beyond repair.

'Or are they?' (Publication summary)

'It’s not because Bel’s mother was murdered.
It’s not because her father is a politician.
Bel writes to a Death Row prisoner as an easy way out of an assignment.

'But now he’s written back.

'Drawn to Micah’s world inside a Thai prison, Bel finds herself falling for the boy with ragged hair, shackles and a terrible past. But is she setting herself up for more loss? And will loving him mean losing the people who mean the most to her at home?'

Source: Publisher's blurb.