Wild Child (Wild Child #1) by Mike Wells

Briana Fox is the wildest girl in school. She and Kyle have been close for a long time...almost lovers. But Kyle is afraid that if he pushes her, he'll have his heart broken and lose his best friend. When Briana challenges him to a swim across the lake, she's injured in a horrific accident, but she discovers a mysterious substance in an underwater cave that saves her life. What seems to be a magical yet harmless "power drug" invokes superhuman abilities, and Briana soon becomes dependent on it for her very survival. When two government agents learn of the discovery, they will stop at nothing to find the source and turn Briana into a human experiment. Is Kyle willing to risk everything to protect his love?

This book was short! I should say this first, my little warnings. Cussing (high side of mild), underage drinking, mentions of illegal substances (no duh) and a mention of nudity (interpret that how you will.) Know that none of those are focal points (besides the substance abuse) they are merely passing mentions or thoughts. I have to say, I’m not sure I would have picked this book up off the shelf at the bookstore to read just for fun. But, one thing it would be absolutely perfect for, is older reluctant reader. It’s a topic for older kids, but doesn’t have an intimidating size (It is just over 100 ebook pages, most books covering drug/substance abuses are over 300 or 400 pages.)
Just to be clear, the substance used in Wild Child is not a known substance, it’s entirely new to society (although, it’s a scientifically accurate as something unknown can be.)
One more thing I would like to highlight. The ending is in a format I have only seen one other time (in a book which is totally unspeakable in my mind.) I personally call it a Plateau Ending. For EXAMPLE:

CLIFFHANGER:

“Henry stared off the cliff edge, no one had ever lived to tell the tale but he had heard legends of people surviving. He had to try though, hundreds of lives depended on it. It was also his last option, so he steeled himself and jumped.
”
What does that tell you? It tells you that he jumped. It tells you that the character is definitely doing something life-altering or life-ending, and that you will almost certainly learn the results.

PLATEAU:

“Henry looked at the edge of the cliff in the horizon. He saw one possible option, so he started walking towards it.”

What does this tell you?

A plateau ending tells you that an unknown is happening. The story is still in action and the pinnacle point is yet to come. For all you know, there is a foot bridge to another cliff. Or, he was sampling looking for the closest spring of water and the spring just happened to be dangerously close to the edge. It also is a possibility that the author is finished with his story. A simple means of making sure the reader keeps on wondering (which I certainly did with this book.) If anything, you should read it for the unique ending. I am eager to see if there will be a sequel. (sorry, this review is REALLY long! I just had too much to say!)