Betty Wales, Sophomore: A Story for Girls

Betty Wales returns to Harding College for her sophomore year, and nothing is quite as simple as it was freshman fall. She's no longer the wide-eyed newcomer blinking at campus traditions. She's an upperclasswoman now, with expectations to meet, a reputation to shape, and friendships that will test her in ways she never anticipated. At Belden House dormitory, Betty navigates the peculiar weight of being both established and still-finding-herself, surrounded by returning friends and new acquaintances who each bring their own drama to the halls. At the center of it all is Eleanor Watson, alluring and complex, undergoing her own transformation that pulls Betty into unexpected emotional territory. The novel captures the small revolutions of college life: the social rituals, the academic pressures, the tender negotiations of young friendship, the terror and thrill of becoming who you're meant to be. Dunton writes with warmth and wit about that liminal year when you're no longer new but not yet finished, when every relationship feels like it carries outsized stakes. For readers who crave nostalgic coming-of-age fiction, early 20th-century women's stories, or a gentle but honest look at friendship's complexities, this novel offers a window into a world of higher education just opening its doors to young women.