YA Summers Reads Blog Hop- The Boys of Summer
Summer is almost here, and that means sunny days, sea-side crushes, and uh-oh those summer nights! To help set the scene, young adult authors Janet Gurtler, Jennifer Salvato Doktorski, and Juliana Stone share their memories of that summer love they’ll never forget.
Janet Gurtler (The Truth About Us): Is it wrong to admit that I was the QUEEN of unrequited crushes? Sigh. I really was. That being said, once in my twenties, I met this absolutely amazing guy on a vacation. We met on a sandy white beach in the Caribbean. He and I just connected and had the most amazing chemistry ever. It was truly magical and I fell madly in love. Unfortunately he lived in the United States and I lived in Canada, and this was in the days before THE INTERNET and cheap long distance calls. It was alas, not meant to be. Later on, I met my husband and he was better than a crush, he was the real deal. J
Jennifer Salvato Doktorski (The Summer After You And Me): The only summer crush I’ll never forget, is the one I married! We met over the phone, he was a local musician and I was a writing a music column (“Jerseyside”) for a local newspaper. We didn’t meet in-person until months later when he invited me to see a band at a bar called the Budapest Cocktail Lounge, a hole-in-the-wall bar that was starting to make a name for itself with the indie rock scene. We had our first real date at the beach and it’s also where we got engaged, three years later, on a bench overlooking the ocean.
Juliana Stone (Some Kind of Normal): My first summer crush was a boy from town. He had brown eyes and a great smile. We’d meet up every Friday night at the arena and hang out, and for a while he was the perfect guy for me. But alas it wasn’t meant to be. He asked me to a party but my mom wouldn’t let me go with him. So he went on his own, met another girl and my crush was no more.
The Truth About Us by Janet Gurtler
Praise for Janet Gurtler
“Just right for fans of Sarah Dessen and Jodi Picoult.” –Booklist
“Powerful…a gripping read.” VOYA
Book Info:
Flynn’s from the wrong side of the tracks, but he may be just right for Jess…
The truth is that Jess knows she’s screwed up. She’s made mistakes, even betrayed her best friend, and now she’s paying for it. Her dad is making her spend the whole summer volunteering at the local soup kitchen.
The truth is that she wishes she was the carefree party girl everyone thinks she is. She pretends it’s all fine. That her “perfect” family is fine. But it’s not. And no one notices the lie…until she meets Flynn. He’s the only one who really sees her. The only one who really listens.
The truth is that Jess is falling apart, and no one seems to care. But Flynn is the definition of “the wrong side of the tracks.” When Jess’s parents look at him, they only see their differences, not how much she and Flynn need each other. They don’t get that the person who shouldn’t fit into your world might just be the one who makes you feel like you belong.
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JANET GURTLER:
RITA Award finalist Janet Gurtler’s young adult books have been chosen for the Junior Library Guild Selection and as Best Books For Teens from the Canadian Children’s Book Center. She has had her writing compared to Judy Blume and Jodi Picoult and that makes her happy. She has volunteered at a few soup kitchens and hopes to do more. Giving back is so important. Janet lives in Okotoks, Alberta, Canada, with her husband, son, and a chubby black Chihuahua named Bruce.
The Summer After You And Me by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski
Will it be a summer of fresh starts or second chances?
For Lucy, the Jersey Shore isn’t just the perfect summer escape, it’s home. As a local girl, she knows not to get attached to the tourists. They breeze in during Memorial Day weekend, crowding her costal town and stealing moonlit kisses, only to pack up their beach umbrellas and empty promises on Labor Day. Still, she can’t help but crush on charming Connor Malloy. His family spends every summer next door, and she longs for their friendship to turn into something deeper.
Then Superstorm Sandy sweeps up the coast, bringing Lucy and Connor together for a few intense hours. Except nothing is the same in the wake of the storm, and Lucy is left to pick up the pieces of her broken heart and her broken home. Time may heal all wounds, but with Memorial Day approaching and Connor returning, Lucy’s summer is sure to be filled with fireworks.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jennifer Salvato Doktorski is the author of two YA novels and is a freelance nonfiction writer. Her first paid writing gig was at The North Jersey Herald & News, where she wrote obituaries and began her lifelong love of news and coffee. She lives in New Jersey with her family.
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Some Kind of Normal by Juliana Stone
Praise for Juliana Stone
“Just what readers need.” –School Library Journal
“A contemporary romance with a conscience…Stone writes it with confidence and style.” –Kirkus
“The classic miscommunication, the emotional pushing and pulling, the ‘will she?’ and ‘won’t he?’ of the destined-to-be-in-love. Readers of Miranda Kenneally, Jenny Han, and Susane Colasanti will enjoy Stone.” –VOYA
“A story of family, first love, and forgiveness. I couldn’t stop reading. I loved it!” –Miranda Kenneally, author of Catching Jordan
Book Info:
What is normal? For Trevor, normal was playing fast guitar licks, catching game-winning passes, and partying all night. Until a car accident leaves him with no band, no teammates, and no chance of graduating. It’s kind of hard to ace your finals when you’ve been in a coma. The last thing he needs is stuck-up Everly Jenkins as his new tutor, those beautiful blue eyes catching every flaw.
For Everly, normal was a perfect family around the dinner table, playing piano at Sunday service, and sunning by the pool. Until she discovers her whole life is a lie. Now the perfect pastor’s daughter is hiding a life-changing secret, one that is slowly tearing her family apart. And spending the summer with notorious flirt Trevor Lewis means her darkest secret could be exposed.
This achingly beautiful story about two damaged teens struggling through pain and loss to redefine who they are, to their family, to themselves, and to each other is sure to melt your heart.
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Juliana Stone:
USA Today bestselling author Juliana Stone fell in love with books in the fifth grade when her teacher introduced her to Tom Sawyer. A tomboy at heart, she split her time between baseball, books, and music—three passions that carried over into adulthood. When she’s not singing with her band, she’s thrilled to be writing young adult and adult contemporary romance, and does so from her home in Canada.
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#SummerReads Prize Pack featuring titles from Juliana Stone, Janet Gurtler, and Jennifer Salvato Doktorski:
Vacation time. 🙂 Beach. Pools. Getaways!
Summer means a trip. This year, we are going to UtopYA in Nashville. I have never been to Nashville, so I am pretty excited.
love to go cruise
Thanks for this awesome giveaway! The books look really good! Have a great week!
And my favorite thing about summer is swimming and getting a really nice tan 🙂
I’m trying to think of something. The fruit is really good. The water in the pool gets warm enough to swim.
I like getting outside and going camping with family.
Summer is wonderful. Beach, sunshine, heat and hopefully a vacation.
being able to go for long walks with my dog 🙂 thanks for sharing!
I like the fact that I don’t have to bother with a coat and gloves.
This would keep my daughter reading for the summer, Thank you for the great giveaway!
Ice cream when it’s scorching hot…!
What I love most about summer is that it is so worth waiting for! The chance to have bare arms and feel the sun shine down while I read on the patio–all of it is a dream during our long winters! Thanks for the peek at the book and the chance to win!
going to the beach.
The time off to read! 😀
I love heading to the beach in summer.
I love going camping in the summer!
I love the summer because that’s when I get to visit my family in Virginia Beach!
Daylight hours are longer, and so nice to be outside.
FRESH locally grown vegetables!!!
It means beach time!!
Reading on the beach!
What I like best about the summer is the warm weather, summer clothes and most importantly no school no homework !! just time to relax, read and bing watch some TV shows.
the weather and going on vacation