Edgewater by Courtney Sheinmel

Lorrie has always had lots of money to spend on clothes, a horse and horse training, a private school and more.  Then comes the day when the horse barn informs her she's going to have to leave and take her horse with her because her fees haven't been paid.  She tries to call her aunt and remind her about the payment but she won't answer her phone.  Her only recourse is to head home.

Amulet Books sent me an ARC of this book for review (thank you).  It has been published, so you can find a copy now at your local bookstore.

When Lorrie gets on the road, all she has is $8.  She's hungry and needs gas for her car, so stops at the gas station.  And finds she can eat or buy enough gas to get home.  The guy won't give her credit or trust her for the money.  But the good looking young man in line behind her pays for her tab.  She won't take it as a gift, she tells him she'll pay him back.  He tells her she doesn't have to.  But in Lorrie's mind, she does.  It's only later that she realizes he's the senator's son.

This about growing up and coming of age.  Lorrie's mother made a mistake in the past.  Lorrie's father isn't around.  And the money they were being paid wasn't coming from a trust...

Things are bad at home.  There's nothing to eat, the electricity and water get shut off, there's no money to access in the bank, and even Aunt Gigi doesn't have any answers.  She won't even take any questions, she just keeps changing the subject.

What Lorrie learns about her financial position and her mother changes her life.  Old mistakes can rest on the shoulders of the youth that come behind.  This tale has a happy ending, though.  Life hasn't ended for Lorrie; it's just beginning.