No Going Back

Antonio is determined to make amends to the people he hurt most—even if it means breaking the terms of his early release from juvenile detention—in this tour de force about one teen’s quest for redemption, from the award-winning author of American Road Trip. 

It’s Friday morning, and seventeen-year-old Antonio Sullivan is on the verge of earning his early release from Zephyr Woods Youth Detention Center. Having been incarcerated for the last year and a half for a crime he didn’t directly commit, he’s now dedicating himself to his education and his sobriety program. What’s more, Antonio is driven by a deep need to make amends to the two people he hurt the most: his mom and his lifelong best friend, Maya. The conditions of his early release are clear—Antonio can’t have any contact with his father or miss his first meeting with his parole officer Monday morning. But a lot can happen between Friday and Monday, especially when the odds are against you.

Told through time-stamped chapters that race at a fever pitch over the course of a weekend, this absorbing coming-of-age novel explores what it means to right past wrongs in the face of adversity.

• Advance Praise for No Going Back:

  "A gripping and heart-wrenching novel about family, friendship and second chances—will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end."—Betty Culley, author of Three Things I Know are True and The Name She Gave Me

• "A deep look into the heart of being misunderstood, told with prose you just can't fake. Flores-Scott has achieved something vital here, a lyrical take on self-reclamation laid out over a weekend of cold reality. With honest voices, a flow of poetry, and a satisfying conclusion, this book is a gift with a purpose, the kind you hand to a reader that both wants and needs it."—Sean Beaudoin, author of Welcome Thieves and Wise Young Fool

• "Poetry, resilience, unflinching honesty, a steady undercurrent of hope, plus a wild adventure with a ticking clock, this book packs it all in for a three-day turbulent ride that’s full of heart. Tonio does all the wrong things for all the right reasons, and I rooted for him every step of the way. His story explores the many places love can come from, and how our family, friends, and community keep us afloat during the toughest of times."—Kristin Bartley Lenz, author of The Art of Holding On and Letting Go

• Praise for American Road Trip:
  Printz Award Longlist
  Latinidad List, Best YA Novel
  YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults List
  Bank Street College Best Book of the Year
  TAYSHAS Reading List Selection
  Teen Vogue Best Gift Book for Teens
  Little Free Library Action Book Club Pick
  Connecticut, Nutmeg Award Finalist
  Evergreen Teen Book Award Finalist
  Georgia Peach Finalist
  Arizona, Grand Canyon Reader Award Finalist
  Licensed to Webtoons for Graphic Digital Serialization

  * "In a story about mending broken ties, making sacrifices, and visiting landscapes and loved ones from the past, Flores-Scott (Jumped In) invites readers to follow T on a road trip that brings to life the Avilas’ Latino heritage and Manny’s disorder. In addition to the book’s serious subject matter, it celebrates many things: family love, realized dreams, and the taste of a green chile cheeseburger." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

  * "This powerful story also reminds readers that the paths to their dreams may have to take detours but are still attainable." —Booklist, starred review

  * "Adeptly provides a window and a mirror of Latinx culture and reimagines the American road trip as an individual journey, one deeply anchored in sacrifice for those we love." —School Library Journal, starred review 

  "Written in T's vulnerable, observant voice, American Road Trip holds true to classic road-trip themes like the emotional power of sing-alongs and unexpected detours, but it also wades into the darker waters of mental illness with both realism and sensitivity."—The New York Times