From debut author Amanda Sellet comes an adorable YA romance, BY THE BOOK. This delightful and humorous book blends coming of age themes seamlessly with the power of friendship and all the charm and drama that a first-love romance has to offer.
BY THE BOOK
by Amanda Sellet
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, May 2020
To help steer her friends away from high school drama, Mary Porter-Malcolm creates the Scoundrel Survival Guide. Based on her knowledge of classic literature, Mary is confident that she and her friends will avoid unworthy suitors. But despite her best efforts, Mary finds herself falling for the same bad boy she warned all her friends against. If Mary wants a happy ending for herself, she must admit that true life (and love) is messier than fiction. BY THE BOOK is perfect for readers who enjoy their YA romances sweet, funny, and with a « classic » happy ending.
Amanda Sellet had a previous career in journalism, during which she wrote book reviews for The Washington Post, personal essays for NPR, and music and movie coverage for VH1. She has an M.A. in Cinema Studies from NYU and spent a year in England as au pair to an actress who has played in her share of period dramas. These days she lives in Kansas with her archaeologist husband and their daughter.
As birthdays go, this year’s birthday for radio producer Everly Dean hit an all-time low. Worse than the birthday she had a tonsillectomy. Worse than the birthday her loveably reckless parents decided to split up (the first time). But catching your boyfriend cheating on you with his assistant? Yea, even clichés sting. But no matter. This is Everly Dean’s year! The year she doesn’t let her anxiety hold her back. The year she stops being the hot potato in the overblown drama of her parent’s marriage. The year she pitches her podcast idea to her boss. There’s just one problem. Her boss, Chris, is way too cute. He’s also supremely respectful of her, to the point of being distant (which means he hates her, right? Or is that the anxiety talking)? Oh, and Stacey, best friend/ DJ, forgot to mute the mic as Everly ranted about Simon the Snake (syn: see Cheating Ex). Maybe she has three problems. Suddenly, people are lining up to date her, Bachelor-style; fans are voting for their favorite dates (Note to self: never leave house again); and meanwhile, that spark she feels for Chris might be a two-way street. It’s a lot to handle for a woman who considers avoiding people an Olympic sport. She’s going to have to fake it ‘till she makes it to get through all of this. Perhaps she’ll make a list of three (that’s barely a list)… Five (no one likes an odd number)… Ten rules for faking it. Because sometimes making the rules can find you happiness when you least expect it.
When private school student Isabelle Warren first meets Dominican-American Alex Rosario on the 1 train, she remembers his green eyes and gentlemanly behavior. He remembers her long ballet dancer’s legs and untroubled happiness, something he feels belongs to all rich kids. As the two grow closer in and out of the subway, Isabelle learns of Alex’s father, who is hell-bent on Alex being a contender for the major leagues despite Alex’s desire to go to college and become a poet. Alex learns about Isabelle’s Havana-born mother, Eliza, a woman with a prejudice against Latino men, who pressures her daughter to stay away from him. When Isabelle’s father loses his job and her older brother struggles with his mental health, her relationship with Alex falters. But fate—and the 1 train—throw them together when Isabelle needs him the most.
Ash Gupta is having an amazing senior year, hanging out with his tight circle of friends and cranking out the grades his wealthy, immigrant Asian-Indian parents expect. A model student in every way, Ash is on track to earn every school honor there is… except one. It looks as if valedictorian will go to the anti-social, foul-mouthed girl who has been a thorn in his side throughout high school, and that’s just not a part of Ash’s—or his parents’—plan. Eden Moore’s biggest goal is to escape the poverty that haunts her family. When she’s not babysitting a special needs boy, managing the high school website, or attending classes, she’s studying her ass off. To both of their surprise, when Eden and Ash are forced to work together on a school project, sparks fly. As they spend more time together, antagonism changes to romance.