“Laurel-Rain Snow's 'An Accidental Life' tells a familiar story: Four teenage girls have a 'coming-of-age' summer during which they experiment with alcohol, drugs and sex. (Think 'Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants' meets 'Trainspotting').
"But in her debut novel, the...author manages a unique
feat by detailing how the girls' behavior affects not
only them, but the parents, guardians, boyfriends, and
social workers who surround them.
"Sick of hearing about a 15-year-old's unwanted
pregnancy? Flip ahead a few pages and find a subplot
about a social worker who's being stalked by an
unknown obsessor. Think the 'junkie boyfriend'
storyline is cliched? Not so much when you realize
that the book focuses more on his mother's
dialogue—both internal and external—than his.
"In a story which could be replete with minor
characters, there are surprisingly few. An ex-husband,
whom many authors would write off in a passing
reference, acts as a major foil. Snow also offers more
than a peek into a next-door lover's past, and exposes
a reluctant grandmother for the fraud she really is.”
- Blast Magazine