Take a story's temperature by studying its tone. Is it hopeful? Cynical? Snarky? Playful?
Skepticism with a Side of Anger
Since the tone of the story is dictated by its narrator—Mclean Sweet—it's no wonder that the tone in this book is somewhat jaded. Even though she's going through an exciting time in her life—it's her senior year of high school and she's got college shenanigans and frat parties to look forward to—Mclean is preoccupied and kind of pessimistic. She doesn't even seem particularly excited by the prospect of making new friends since she'll just abandon them eventually:
In truth, since my parents' split, I hadn't had much faith in relationships and even less of an inclination to start any lasting ones of my own. (2.92)
By getting Mclean's tone and perspective on things, we really get to see the emotions that she hides from other characters—namely the hurt and anger that she feels from her parents' divorce. It helps us appreciate just how hard the past few years have been on her, and how brave she is as she begins to trust other people again