At nearly 16, Tess wants most in the world to become a “girl who loves herself,” as her friend Andy puts it, referring to her best friend Lisa. Lisa’s effortless self confidence makes her a guy magnet. Tess has a long way to go in this department.

Struggling with bulimia, which remains unnamed in 1979; her mom’s death; her dad’s heavy drinking and her relationship with a good looking but unreliable boy, Tess decides to take action to conquer her demons.

Tess escapes with Lisa for the summer , living in a teepee high in the mountains above Crested Butte, Colorado. The canyon is also inhabited by a Cinnamon Bear – revered in American Indian lore – which alternately fascinates and terrifies the girls.

For a while, the challenges of rugged mountain life seem to heal Tess, and she proudly carves a mark in a pine tree for every day she resists the powerful urge to ‘pig out.’ The fast friends enjoy days of simple wonder in Oh Be Joyful Canyon, where their neighbors are as whistling marmots in a nearby field, trout in the creek that runs past the teepee and tittering alpine birds.

When Lisa leaves for a week, Tess finds herself in a full-blown bulimic relapse. When Lisa returns, the girls undertake an epic hike across the Conundrum Trail to Aspen, crossing the Continental Divide. Tess’ admiration of her close friend is challenged when Lisa seems to succumb to the sleazy advances of a cocaine-peddling older man in Aspen’s glitzy social scene. The friendship is further threatened after they return to Crested Butte, when Lisa commits a drunken act of betrayal. Disillusioned and alone, Tess heads for the teepee by herself.

In the story’s surprising conclusion, Tess and Lisa discover they’ve each harbored major secrets in the friendship. Learning the truth allows each girl to find a new appreciation for her friend’s authentic self. The Cinnamon Bear lumbers up in a final scene, performing a symbolic act that fulfills his Indian nickname of “First Helper.”

Cinnamon Girls is a crossover YA novel based on a true story. It is represented by Brianne Johnson & Michele Rubin at Writer’s House literary agency, NYC.