Kissing in America - Hardcover

Rabb, Margo

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0062322370 ISBN 13: 9780062322371

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2015

Synopsis

Acclaimed writer Margo Rabb’s Kissing in America is “a wonderful novel about friendship, love, travel, life, hope, poetry, intelligence, and the inner lives of girls,” raves internationally bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love).

In the two years since her father died, sixteen-year-old Eva has found comfort in reading romance novels—118 of them, to be exact—to dull the pain of her loss that’s still so present. Her romantic fantasies become a reality when she meets Will, who can relate to Eva’s grief. Unfortunately, after Eva falls head-over-heels for him, he picks up and moves to California with barely any warning. Not wanting to lose the only person who has been able to pull her out of sadness—and, perhaps, her first shot at real love—Eva and her best friend, Annie, concoct a plan to travel to the west coast. As they road trip across America, Eva and Annie confront the complex truth about love. 

In this honest and emotional journey that National Book Award Finalist Sara Zarr calls “gorgeous, funny, and joyous,” readers will experience the highs of infatuation and the lows of heartache as Eva contends with love in all of its forms. 

Since publication, this novel received 4 starred reviews and has been named:

• A Chicago Public Library Best Teen Book of 2015
• A New York Public Library Best Book for Teens 2015
• A Miami Herald Best Book of the Year
• A Spirit of Texas selection
• A TAYSHAS High School Reading List Selection
• An Oprah Summer Reading List selection
• A Junior Library Guild selection
• An Amazon Best Book of the Month
• A Publisher’s Lunch 2015 Buzz Book for Young Adults

About this title

About the Author

Margo Rabb is the author of the novels Kissing in America and Cures for Heartbreak; both received four starred reviews and were named to multiple best-of-the-year lists. Her essays and short stories have appeared in the New York Times, The Atlantic, and Seventeen and have been broadcast on NPR. She received the grand prize in the Zoetrope short story contest, first prize in the Atlantic fiction contest, and a PEN Syndicated Fiction Project Award. Margo grew up in Queens, NY, and currently lives near Philadelphia with her family. Visit her online at www.margorabb.com.

From the Back Cover

I loved romances because when you opened the first page, you knew the story would end well. Your heart wouldn't be broken. I loved that security, that guaranteed love.

In real life, you never knew the ending. I hated that.

In the two years since her father died, sixteen-year-old Eva has found comfort in reading romance novels—118 of them, to be exact—to dull the pain of her loss that's still so present. Her romantic fantasies become a reality when she meets Will, who understands her grief. Unfortunately, after Eva falls head over heels for him, he picks up and moves to California without any warning. Not wanting to lose the only person who has been able to pull her out of sadness—and, perhaps, her shot at real love—Eva and her best friend, Annie, concoct a plan to travel to the West Coast to see Will again. As they road-trip across America, Eva and Annie encounter cowboys, kudzu, and tiny towns without stoplights. Along the way, they confront the complex truth about love.

In this honest and emotional journey from acclaimed writer Margo Rabb, readers will experience the highs of infatuation and the lows of heartache as Eva contends with love in all of its forms.

Reviews

Gr 9 Up—Two years ago, Eva Roth's father was killed in a plane crash, which is still being investigated. Eva's grief is as fresh as it was the day he died, but her mother seems determined to move on and expects Eva to do the same. As her mother becomes increasingly uncommunicative and obsessed with work, Eva tries to escape her pain by focusing on preparing for college; studying with her best friend, Annie; and losing herself in the pages of romance novels. When the teen is paired with high school heartthrob, Will, in an after-school tutoring session, she discovers that he, too, has lost a family member. Their shared understanding of loss and pain draws them into a relationship that is abruptly halted when Will has to move from New York to Los Angeles. Following the advice of her favorite romance novelist, Eva determines to find a way to go "get her man." She convinces the brilliant Annie to enter the two of them in an academic teen game show that promises a trip to Los Angeles and a $20,000 scholarship to the winner. Together they embark on a cross-country adventure that will test their friendship, and ultimately bring Eva to a deeper understanding of herself and her family. With a full cast of multidimensional characters, this novel explores the complex nature of relationships and the many faces of grief and love with equal parts humor and poignancy. VERDICT A first purchase for most YA collections.—Cary Frostick, formerly at Mary Riley Styles Public Library, Falls Church, VA

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0062322370
• ISBN 13: 9780062322371
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 400