Some people believe that everyone has a soul mate, a perfect complement that transforms our lives. The idea of a soul mate usually conjures up romantic thoughts of a consummate love affair like that of Romeo and Juliet.

"Sweethearts" by Sara Zarr (Little, Brown and Co., $16.99, ages 12 and up), a realistic and engaging novel, dispels this notion instead suggesting that soul mates may not always fit the traditional mold.

Jennifer Harris, who is bullied for having a lisp and being overweight, meets her soul mate in elementary school. His name is Cameron Quick, and he is a social outcast, too.

Cameron becomes not only Jennifer's best friend, but her only friend. Their bond strengthens as they endure cruelties at school while surviving hardships at home.

Jennifer is often alone because her mom is a single parent overburdened with work and school. Cameron is the victim of an abusive father. Zarr's light touch keeps these situations from overwhelming readers although she includes enough detail to clearly describe their challenging circumstances.

It seems as though these two are destined to follow the traditional soul mate path, but that idea is zapped when Cameron suddenly disappears.

Jennifer is devastated. Her loss is exacerbated when the bullies at school tell her Cameron has died. When her mom doesn't dispute their allegations, Jennifer believes that she has forever lost her only friend. She then decides to bury her role as social pariah because facing the bullies alone would be an unbearable task.

Zarr then fast forwards eight years. Jennifer has undergone a complete transformation. Not only has she lost weight, she has lost her name as well; she now goes by "Jenna Vaughn."

Her mom remarried, bringing stability to their lives. Jenna has a new wardrobe, new friends, a new school and for the first time ever, a boyfriend. She's living the life she only dreamed of when she was Jennifer Harris.

Younger readers will be captivated by this shiny veneer of high school life. However, older readers, who have experienced high school, may find it to be a glamorized, unrealistic portrayal.

Jenna mostly enjoys her new identity, but echoes of who she used to be still creep in, especially on her birthday.

The last time she saw Cameron was on the day she turned 9. She can't help but be reminded of that dreadful day year after year. It was the day she and Cameron narrowly escaped from the hands of his abusive father. The fact that Cameron's escape was only temporary still haunts her.

Zarr uses flashbacks to describe Jennifer's ninth birthday. Readers' interest will be piqued as this terrifying incident slowly unfolds throughout the story.

On her 18th birthday Jenna receives a note in her mailbox addressed to "Jennifer Harris." It's from Cameron.

His family moved away. He was never dead. Now he is back and attending the same school that she does.

Cameron's reappearance forces Jenna to address her past and reexamine her current identity. Cameron is the only person in her life who knows her inside and out.

Unlike her friends and even her boyfriend, she can't hide anything from him. She doubts that her new friends would've accepted her as the girl she used to be as Cameron had.

She and Cameron do not get together, however. He has to move away again, but this time, he leaves his contact information. Instead of running away from his father as he did in the past, Cameron confronts him and returns to his siblings to be the role model that he never had.

By putting the needs of others before his own, Cameron evolves into a responsible man readers can admire and respect. His transformation may inspire readers to change how they deal with adversity.

Jenna learns to appreciate the role that Cameron has played in her life. She acknowledges that even though they didn't end up as a couple, Cameron still left a permanent mark on her soul. He inspired her to stop denying who she really is.

"Sweethearts" moves at an even pace and the utilization of flashbacks will maintain the interest of teen readers. Many will see the events of their daily lives reflected in Zarr's characters. There is a brief scene involving underage drinking toward the end of the story. While this is a plausible behavior in real life, it doesn't fit here, and it seems didactic.

Although the secondary characters are shallow, the characters of Jenna and Cameron are rich with complexity. Teen readers will relate to Jennifer's need to transform herself as they wrestle with discovering their own identities.

Some may pine for the life Jenna leads while others may long for the perfect friend Jennifer had in Cameron. No matter whom they prefer the importance of being accepted for who you are instead of who you pretend to be will not be lost on them.

Finally, Zarr acknowledges the need for transformation on a societal level by addressing bullying. Although this problem has always plagued schools, it is now linked to unprecedented violence on their campuses.

Over the past several years, tragedies of social outcasts retaliating with guns have made the news. Through the eyes of Jennifer, readers can clearly see the impact that bullying has on those traumatized by it.

Instead of taking her anger out on others, she internalizes it. She hides who she really is in order to conform thus committing a different kind of violence, one that is inwardly directed. It is hoped this honest characterization will inspire readers to be more compassionate toward their peers and more appreciative of individuality.