At the very top of our age range, this long novel portrays a sixteen year old girl and her boyfriend, who is considered the school bad boy. Lottie's father has died, and after this happened, she closed down. Friends became less important and her school work was affected. She and her father had been very close; he had taught her to bake, and they shared a love of it. But the other problem in Lottie's life is that her mother has become depressed and her depression comes out weirdly in collecting what Lottie calls Stuff - always with a capital letter! The house and garden have become chock-a-block with Stuff, and Lottie is terrified that the authorities will find out and take her away from her mum. Also mum stays in her room everyday and doesn't really participate in life anymore except for her collecting tendencies. When the school becomes concerned about Lottie's school work and lack of friends, she forces herself to join the new Bake Club to prove that she is really okay. This is where she gets to know bad boy Mac. They form a team, and it is soon clear that they are very much attracted to each other. The school and Lottie's counsellor are not happy with this development, and Lottie is torn between her growing care for Mac and the fear that her mum's problems will be discovered. There are many ups and downs for Lottie and Mac and the other members of the Bake Club (all of whom have problems of their own) before a lovely happy ending. While this is teenage chick-lit with a vengeance, it is also a good representation of a teenager with real problems. There are also recipes with each chapter which will be fun to try, and Lottie and her friends are a tried and true gang who win through in the end. While sex raises its head from time to time, it is mostly in the form of kissing and strong feelings - nothing more specific than that, although one feels that it's never very far away. Girls will enjoy the story tremendously, and Mac is every female's idea of dangerous charm!