Novel: The Divorce Express

Summary
Phoebe's carefully ordered world tilts when her parents decide to divorce. Forced to leave the house where she grew up, the friends she relied on and the routines that made school bearable, she moves with her mother to a new town. The story follows Phoebe as she copes with the sense of loss, of her old home, of a familiar family life, and of the comforting illusion that adults always have answers, and as she reckons with the practical and emotional fallout of a split that nobody her age asked for.
In the new town Phoebe confronts the awkwardness of starting over: a different school with its own cliques, classes that make her feel out of step, and neighbors who are watching the family try to find its footing. She wrestles with anger toward both parents, guilt for wanting her old life back, and the embarrassment that comes from being "the kid whose parents got divorced." Through small victories, finding a teacher who listens, making an unexpected friend, learning to speak up for herself, Phoebe begins to rebuild. Humor and frank observations supply ballast during the darker moments, and scenes of everyday life, packing strange boxes, sitting through tense phone calls, navigating custody arrangements, give the story its grounded emotional core.
As the narrative progresses, Phoebe's view of her parents evolves. Neither parent is villainized; faults and human frailties are shown on both sides. Her father remains a figure she misses and resents in turns, while her mother struggles to balance work, loneliness, and the responsibility of parenting alone. Phoebe's journey is not a straight path from despair to bliss, but a series of adjustments: learning to ask for help, setting boundaries, and allowing herself to imagine a future that includes change rather than being defined by it.

Themes and Tone
The novel captures the turbulence of adolescence magnified by family breakdown, treating the subject with a mix of humor and unsentimental empathy. It explores how identity and belonging are shaken when the household that shaped a child's daily life dissolves. Friendship and school become vital mirrors where Phoebe tests who she is apart from her family roles, and the book emphasizes resilience over melodrama, showing that recovery is slow, often messy, and punctuated by small, meaningful moments.
Danziger's voice, wry, candid, and attuned to the specifics of teen experience, makes the emotional stakes accessible without overwhelming the reader. The narrative balances lighthearted scenes with quieter, reflective passages so that the reader can feel both the sting of loss and the steady accumulation of hope. The writing treats feelings as complex and legitimate rather than as plot devices, and it honors the awkwardness of a young person trying to make sense of grown-up decisions.

Conclusion
The story closes on a note of cautious optimism: Phoebe does not get a tidy, cinematic resolution but she does gain perspective and practical tools for living with change. By learning to speak her mind, build new friendships, and accept that adults can err without being irreparably broken, she reaches a steadier, more confident place. The book offers reassurance to anyone who has felt unmoored by divorce, showing that while a broken family reshapes life, it need not define a child's future.