20. The Catalpa Tree by Denyse Devlin

"When Jude is orphaned at fourteen, her father’s best friend comes to the rescue. Oliver wants to remain her friend as well as her guardian, but spirited Jude isn’t a girl you can shelter from the world – not after she’s already suffered so much heartache. And with each passing year, both Jude and Oliver struggle in their own ways against the ties that bind them. What place has love inside and outside of their relationship?"  Amazon.com

Jude and Oliver are fantastic characters and the story really draws you in.  You admire Jude for the way she handles the death of her father and being forced into a family that isn't always comfortable for her.  Her growth as a teenager into a young woman is very believable and was so thoughtfully written.  She is not perfect, quite selfish and self-centered, moody and often irritating, but never boring.  I loved Oliver.  He is handsome and urbane; but loving, giving and humorously neurotic.  Although it is hard to become parent to a fourteen-year-old girl, he never gives up on her or their relationship.  I really enjoyed this book, right up to the end which I absolutely hated.  It made no sense to me and it was depressing.  I can't say much about it because I would hate to give the ending away.  Others may like it.  (Cassie??)  Rating:  3.5 (I deducted a full point cheating me out of a better end.)