Tonight the Streets Are Ours: A Novel - Softcover

Sales, Leila

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1250115361 ISBN 13: 9781250115362

Publisher: Square Fish, 2018

Synopsis

From the author of This Song Will Save Your Life comes a YA novel about the hazards of falling for a person you haven't met yet.

"What Arden did superlatively was this: She was nice."

Taking care of her loved ones is what gives sixteen-year-old Arden purpose in her life and makes her feel like she matters. But lately she's grown resentful of everyone―including her needy best friend and her absent mom―taking her loyalty for granted.

Then Arden stumbles upon a website called Tonight the Streets Are Ours, the musings of a young New York City writer named Peter, who gives voice to feelings that Arden has never known how to express. He seems to get her in a way that no one else does, and he hasn't even met her.

Until Arden sets out on a road trip to find him.

During one crazy night out in New York City filled with parties, dancing, and music―the type of night when anything can happen, and nearly everything does―Arden discovers that Peter isn't exactly who she thought he was. And maybe she isn't exactly who she thought she was, either.

Also by Leila Sales
This Song Will Save Your Life
If You Don't Have Anything Nice to Say
Once Was a Time
Past Perfect
Mostly Good Girls

Praise for Tonight the Streets Are Ours:

“This romantic adventure will grab fans of Rachel Cohen and David Levithan's Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2006) and of Sarah Dessen, particularly with Arden's desire to flirt with danger.” ―Booklist

“The author taps into the anxiety, insecurity, and hurt that people experience when they think that they are giving more love than they receive. Teens who enjoy books about the balance of friendship with individual identity formation will find much to think about in this novel.” ―School Library Journal

“Alternating poignancy and humor, and with obvious compassion for her characters, Sales gently imparts subtle wisdom about truth in storytelling, asserting independence, and above all, what it means to love someone (and not just romantically).” ―The Horn Book

“The prose is crisp and full of subtle, comic detail, and the girls' climactic trip to New York provides an epic resolution. Arden's tale is insightful throughout.” ―Kirkus Reviews

“Peter's blog entries are intermixed with Arden's story, making it easy to understand why she is drawn to him; from there, Sales (This Song Will Save Your Life) takes her story on surprising turns as Arden learns what it really means to love someone” ―Publishers Weekly

“This book will resonate with any reader who has experienced disappointments in romantic love or with any loved ones.” ―VOYA

About this title

About the Author

Leila Sales is the author of the novels This Song Will Save Your Life, Mostly Good Girls, and Past Perfect.
This Song Will Save Your Life garnered two starred reviews, was included on the American Library Association's Best Fiction for Young Adults list, was one of Bank Street College of Education's Best Books of the Year, and was listed as one of the Best YA Books of 2013 by Buzzfeed.com. It has been published in ten foreign countries, and it has been optioned for stage and film development.
Leila grew up outside of Boston, Massachusetts, and graduated with a degree in psychology from the University of Chicago. When she's not writing, she spends her time thinking about sleeping, kittens, chocolate, and how to get more of all of them. Leila lives in Brooklyn, New York, and works in children's book publishing.

From School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up—The author taps into the anxiety, insecurity, and hurt that people experience when they think that they are giving more love than they receive. Arden Huntley's naïve understanding of relationships partially comes from her mother, who taught her in word and by example that one person always takes care of the other as a gardener nurtures flowers. Arden fully believes this theory and has built an identity around it: she is "recklessly loyal." She reaches a breaking point when she starts to feel that her love and support are underappreciated, especially by her boyfriend and her best friend. Seeking solace online, Arden discovers "Tonight the Streets Are Ours," a blog written by a guy named Peter in New York City. The teen not only finds comfort in Peter's writing, but begins to feel invested in his life and happiness. Sales understands the intense bond that readers can have with bloggers and she uses this to propel Arden into a transformative road trip to find Peter. Some readers, particularly those touched by adoption, may find themselves taken out of the story when they are introduced to a character with an unusual backstory: a white boy who was adopted by Asian American parents. However, there's no acknowledgement of how unique and against expectations it is. It's unclear how this creative decision serves the plot or characters and given that it occurs during a pivotal moment in the book, it's worth noting. VERDICT Teens who enjoy books about the balance of friendship with individual identity formation will find much to think about in this novel.—Joy Piedmont, LREI, New York City

About this edition

• Publisher: Square Fish
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1250115361
• ISBN 13: 9781250115362
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 368