The Things You Kiss Goodbye - Hardcover

Connor, Leslie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060890916 ISBN 13: 9780060890919

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2014

Synopsis

Fans of Sarah Dessen will love this heartbreaking story about family, loss, and the joys and disappointments of first love.

Bettina Vasilis can hardly believe it when star basketball player Brady Cullen convinces her strict father to let them date. That summer, Bettina falls in love with Brady and the freedom that comes along with him. But when school starts up again, Brady unexpectedly changes for the worse. Unable to give up on her first love just yet, she finds herself trapped in an abusive relationship.

Then she meets "Cowboy," a smoldering older guy and the last guy her father would approve. Yet he is everything Brady is not—gentle, caring, and interested in getting to know the real Bettina. When tragedy strikes, Bettina must tell her family the truth—and kiss goodbye the things she thought she knew about herself and the men in her life.

About this title

About the Author

Leslie Connor is the author of several award-winning books for children, including two ALA Schneider Family Book Award winners, Waiting for Normal and The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle, which was also selected as a National Book Award finalist. Her other books include All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook, Crunch, and The Things You Kiss Goodbye. She lives in the Connecticut woods with her family and three rescue dogs. You can visit her online at www.leslieconnor.com.

From the Back Cover

Bettina Vasilis can hardly believe it when basketball star Brady Cullen asks her out, and she just about faints when her strict father actually approves of him. Over the course of the summer, Bettina falls in love with Brady . . . and with the new freedom that comes along with him.

But when school starts up again, Brady changes. What happened to the sweet boy she fell in love with? Then she meets a smoldering guy in his twenties, and this "cowboy" is everything Brady is not—gentle, caring, and interested in getting to know the real Bettina, or "Beta," as he nicknames her.

Bettina knows that breaking up with Brady would mean losing her freedom—and that it would be inappropriate for anything to happen between her and Cowboy. Still, she can't help that her breath catches when he smiles, or that she longs for the scent of his auto shop whenever she's anywhere else.

When tragedy strikes, Bettina must tell her family the truth—and kiss goodbye the things she thought she knew about herself and the men in her life.

Leslie Connor has written a lyrical, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful story about family, romance, and the immense power of love.

Reviews

Gr 9 Up—After 15-year-old Bettina Vasilis's best and only friend moves away, she is left socially stranded in the home of her traditional Greek family. Suddenly her life as the thrift shop-raiding, bad girl "dancerina" comes to an end. Lonely and unoccupied, Bettina's sophomore year ends with the unlikely attention of the up-and-coming basketball star, Brady Cullen. Even more surprising is the acceptance of this new relationship by her strict father, Bampas, who allows her to date and grow closer to Brady throughout the summer. The teen rarely questions why their summer dates only include the two of them or why Brady encourages her unlikely application to the cheerleading squad, but as their junior year begins, she develops an awareness of Brady's new social standing as the school's star athlete. Soon Bettina begins to question her changing relationship. Then she meets "Cowboy", an older auto mechanic who challenges her to focus more on the things important to her, like her art. What begins as a chance friendship turns into something more, despite the taboo age difference. This novel is compulsively readable. The characters are well developed, the plot is compelling, and the ending plausible and satisfying. Bettina's Greek family is a welcome dimension to the complicated love triangle. An enjoyable addition to YA chick lit.—Lynn Rashid, Marriotts Ridge High School, Marriottsville, MD

It’s not easy being Greek, as 16-year-old Bettina can attest. Her Bampas and Momma insist that she return directly home after school, and she can forget about going out at night. Then she meets Brady Cullen, a handsome basketball player who seems smitten by her. Bampas approves, so Bettina is allowed out in Brady’s company. But to her dismay, Brady begins hurting her, inflicting scrapes, bruises, and worse. As he gets meaner, Bettina is increasingly drawn to a kind-hearted older man (think midtwenties) whom she nicknames Cowboy. Still, she won’t break up with Brady, using the stand by your man rationale that holds so many women in abusive relationships. This is what Bettina has learned herself in her traditional family, where peace depends on acquiescence to Bampas’ rules. With compassion and respect, author Connor explores the ways in which loving relationships can get twisted into cycles of misery. Be ready with the hankies; this one is a real tearjerker. Grades 9-12. --Diane Colson

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0060890916
• ISBN 13: 9780060890919
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 368