Lucy Hale, Hayden Panettiere, and Nikki Reed were all cast in the lead female roles when the project was announced in 2011. All dropped out for unknown reasons.
The film is based on Michael Hornburg's novel, "Downers Grove" (1999). Hornburg is a former resident of real-life Downers Grove, Illinois, graduating from Downers Grove South High School in 1978.
Chrissie mentions that Downers Grove was built on land stolen from Indians in 1832. Though real-life Downers Grove was founded in 1832, there is no evidence the land was stolen.
The first line of the movie is a voiceover saying, "Whoever named this town 'Downers Grove' had a sick sense of humor." Contrary to this statement, Downers Grove, an actual village in northeastern Illinois and a suburb of Chicago, was named in 1832 after its founder, Pierce Downer.