In photography, the rule of thirds is a guideline for how photographs should be composed: as if on a grid of nine squares, with the subject falling across two of the three vertical planes. Chantel Guertin (née Simmons, author of the adult titles Stuck in Downward Dog and Love Struck) loads her YA debut with as many variations on this rule as she can.

The photographer in Guertin’s story is high-school student Pippa Greene, whose life is profoundly off-kilter: she’s grieving her late father, keeping secrets from her best friend, and suffering crippling panic attacks, often triggered by things associated with her father, such as the hospital where he died (and where she has been assigned school-related volunteer service). Her viewfinder is packed, and no matter where she looks, life crowds in, disrupting any attempt to sort things into a neat little grid.

Guertin resolves it all nicely. A major plot twist doesn’t involve friend drama and has little to do with boys, which is hard to find in YA. Also rare is how realistically Pippa is drawn. Though she is dealing with a range of issues, from typical teen worries to more serious problems stemming from her father’s death, she’s presented as capable, thoughtful, and intellectual without being clichéd.

The only elements that lack focus are the supporting cast and, at times, the language. Ben Baxter, one of the two objects of Pippa’s affection, plays an important part in the novel’s final act, but the reasons behind his surprising deception aren’t explained. Pippa’s mom also feels inauthentic, as if Guertin couldn’t quite hear how she would speak to her daughter. And everyone is hopelessly casual and hip – all hair is thrown into effortless topknots, all hoodies have vintage patinas, and no iDevice goes without mention. The backdrop feels strained, but the flaws are easily forgiven when Pippa talks about her photographs, and what little piece of imperfect, beautiful life she’ll capture next.