A daringly honest sexy debut novel about three young women coming of age in 1980s New England and New York—a bingeable summer readIts 1983. David Bowie reigns supreme and downtown Manhattan has never been cooler. But Justine and Eve are stuck at Griswold Academy a Connecticut boarding school. Griswold is a far cry from Justines bohemian life in New Haven where her paA daringly honest sexy debut novel about three young women coming of age in 1980s New England and New York—a bingeable summer readIts 1983. David Bowie reigns supreme and downtown Manhattan has never been cooler. But Justine and Eve are stuck at Griswold Academy a Connecticut boarding school. Griswold is a far cry from Justines bohemian life in New Haven where her parents run a theater and struggle to pay the bills. Eve the sophisticated daughter of status-obsessed Park Avenue parents also feels like an outsider amidst Griswolds preppy jocks and debutantes. Justine longs for Eves privilege and Eve for Justines sexual confidence. Despite their differences they form a deep friendship together grappling with drugs alcohol ill-fated crushes and predatory male teachers.After a tumultuous school year Eve and Justine spend the summer in New York City where they join Eves childhood friend India. Justine moves into Indias Hells Kitchen apartment and is pulled further into her friends glamorous lives. Eve under her parents ever-watchful eye interns at a SoHo art gallery and navigates the unpredictable whims of her boss. India struggles to resist the advances of a famous artist represented by the gallery. All three are affected by their sexual relationships with older men and the power adults hold over them even as the young women begin to assert their independence.A captivating timeless novel about friendship sex and parental damage Amanda Brainerds Age of Consent intimately evokes the heady freedom of our teenage years.(less)