Katy has to stay with her rocker Dad in LA for the summer while her mother does research in Peru. A mature fifteen yr-old, she "prefers silence."

So often in YA books the parents are disappointingly bland, but not in this book. The dad is very well written as a cool musician trying to stay a recovering heroin addict.
Katy is also well-written. We know where she is coming from: as a reaction to her parent's extreme lives, she is not interested in partying or playing punk music. She really misses her Mom, and feels abandoned by her. A friendship with Lake, a daughter of her dad's band member, enables her to see the release and expression that can come through music.
Each chapter heading is a song from Katy's mix cD, if you're interested in a soundtrack.