Laney hates how much time she's wasted letting anxiety rule her life. And she hates how she falls apart every time she sees him... Zak Graham, the secret love of her life. If only she had the guts to talk to him, just once. But she'll never be tough and confident, like Kristy, or bubbly and fun, like Siobhán, or calm and nurturing, like her best friend, Vanessa.

She's just mousey little Laney, stuck with a terrible, dark emptiness that she can't run away from, no matter how hard she tries.

When she finds herself hyperventilating in the gutter for the second time in three days, and her friends decide to take matters into their own hands and book her an appointment with the city's top psychiatrist, Laney's not sure. Will Dr Rivers be able to give her the tools she needs to destroy what's holding her back?

Sure he will. He's been working on a very special therapy technique, and Laney is the perfect candidate for a trial run.

And sure enough, after a few sessions with the handsome and serious, but clinical doctor, Laney starts noticing an unusual side effect. An unpredictable inner strength that she never knew she possessed.

She's getting clear now about how to handle the people around her, and about what she has to do to hold on to the things she loves most in this world.

Finally stepping into who she was always meant to be, the monsters in the shadows don't scare her anymore because... it's Laney's time to shine.