Synopses & Reviews
Itas been so long since Auden slept at night. Ever since her parentsa divorceaor since the fighting started. Now she has the chance to spend a carefree summer with her dad and his new family in the charming beach town where they live.
A job in a clothes boutique introduces Auden to the world of girls: their talk, their friendship, their crushes. She missed out on all that, too busy being the perfect daughter to her demanding mother. Then she meets Eli, an intriguing loner and a fellow insomniac who becomes her guide to the nocturnal world of the town. Together they embark on parallel quests: for Auden, to experience the carefree teenage life sheas been denied; for Eli, to come to terms with the guilt he feels for the death of a friend.
In her signature pitch-perfect style, Sarah Dessen explores the hearts of two lonely people learning to connect.
Review
"Beautifully captures that sense of summer as a golden threshold between past regrets and future unknowns." -
The Washington PostReview
Praise for ALL I NEED by Susane Colasanti:
“Captures the rush of teen love and lust . . . Colasantis attention to detail is what makes her readers return.”—The Boston Herald
"...sure to leave enthusiasts sighing and reaffirmed about the power of true love." —Kirkus Reviews
"Readers looking for light romance will enjoy Colasantis (Keep Holding On) depiction of a long-distance relationship that beats the odds..." —Publishers Weekly
"There's a sweet earnestness to All I Need, which is neither for the cynical nor those who can't remember the exquisite pull of first love. Susane Colasanti does a good job of getting inside the head of a girl about to start her senior year of high school and a boy about to go to college." - The Star-Ledger
Review
"Dessen is as skilled as ever at turning out steady, satisfying stories about teens that are easy to fall for." —
Publishers Weekly,
starred review
"Completely engaging, infused with moments of sweetness, humor and major epiphanies."—Kirkus Reviews
“Quintessential Dessen”—The Horn Book
Review
Many of Dessen’s books have been selected as Best Books for Young Adults, and they have appeared on numerous state award lists.
Synopsis
ANew York Times bestseller
Up all night.
Nights have always been Auden s time, her chance to escape everything that s going on around her.
Then she meets Eli, a fellow insomniac, and he becomes her nocturnal tour guide.
Now, with an endless supply of summer nights between them, almost anything can happen. . . .
As with all Dessen s books, this] is a must-have VOYA, starred review
Also by Sarah Dessen:
Dreamland
Just Listen
Keeping the Moon
Lock and Key
The Moon and More
Someone Like You
That Summer
This Lullaby
The Truth About Forever
What Happened to Goodbye"
Synopsis
From the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of Once and For All
Nights have always been Auden's time, her chance to escape everything that's going on around her.
Then she meets Eli, a fellow insomniac, and he becomes her nocturnal tour guide.
Now, with an endless supply of summer nights between them, almost anything can happen. . . .
"As with all Dessen's books, this] is a must-have" --VOYA, starred review
Sarah Dessen is the winner of the Margaret A. Edwards Award for her contributions to YA literature, as well as the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award.
Books by Sarah Dessen:
That Summer
Someone Like You
Keeping the Moon
Dreamland
This Lullaby
The Truth About Forever
Just Listen
Lock and Key
Along for the Ride
What Happened to Goodbye
The Moon and More
Saint Anything
Once and for All
Synopsis
Following her parents' bitter divorce, Auden has the chance to spend the summer with her dad and his new family in a charming beach town. There she meets Eli, and together they embark on parallel quests: for Auden, to experience the carefree life she's been denied; for Eli, to come to terms with the guilt he feels for the death of a friend.
Synopsis
Ever since her parents began fighting, Auden has been unable to sleep at night. Now, spending a summer at a charming beach town with her father and his new family, she has to find new places to pass the time she spends awake. And so she meets Eli, a fellow insomniac who becomes her nighttime guide. Together, they embark on parallel quests: for Auden, to experience the carefree teenage life she has missed; for Eli, to come to terms with the death of a friend. In her trademark blockbuster-style, Sarah Dessen creates a powerful and irresistible story of two people learning how to connect.
Synopsis
The Notebook meets
Serendipity in this modern teen romance!
Skye wants to meet the boy who will change her life forever. Seth feels their instant connection the second he sees her. When Seth starts talking to Skye at the last beach party of the summer, it's obvious to both of them that this is something real.
But when Seth leaves for college before they exchange contact info, Skye wonders if he felt the same way she didand if she will ever see him again. Even if they find their way back to each other, can they make a long-distance relationship work despite trust issues, ex drama, and some serious background differences?
Synopsis
A New York Times bestseller Up all night.
Nights have always been Audens time, her chance to escape everything thats going on around her.
Then she meets Eli, a fellow insomniac, and he becomes her nocturnal tour guide.
Now, with an endless supply of summer nights between them, almost anything can happen. . . .
As with all Dessens books, [this] is a must-have” VOYA, starred review
Also by Sarah Dessen:
Dreamland
Just Listen
Keeping the Moon
Lock and Key
The Moon and More
Someone Like You
That Summer
This Lullaby
The Truth About Forever
What Happened to Goodbye
Synopsis
In her eleventh novel, Sarah Dessen returns to the beach town of Colby, setting of some of her best-loved books. Emaline is a Colby native, and so summer at the beach for her means hard work and a new population of beach goers. During this, her last summer before college, Emaline meets Theo while working for her familys rental business. Hes a city boy whos come to Colby as the assistant to a high-strung documentary filmmaker whos in town to profile a reclusive local artist. Emaline knows hes not her type, but she cant help feeling drawn to him. And as their relationship develops, Emaline finds herself questioning her own goals, values, and choices in this classic Dessen romance.
About the Author
"I was born in 1970 in Illinois, but all the life I remember Ive spent in Chapel Hill, NC. My parents were both professors at the University of North Carolina: my mom is a classicist (which means she knows everything you could ever imagine about myths, Latin, and words) and my dad teaches Shakespeare (which means Id seen
As You Like It about five times by the age of 18.) I have one brother, who is a musician and lives in California with his son and his wife, an artist who designed my personal website. (Thanks, Mariangeles!)
"Ive been writing, in one way or another, for as long as I can remember. I was always a big reader, mostly because my parents were. I used to get frustrated with my mom because she bought me books for Christmas when what I really wanted were the gifts my friends got, things like sweaters and jewelry. But I did love to read. When I was eight or nine my parents gave me an old manual typewriter and a little desk in the corner of our den, and Id sit there and type up my stories. I was the kind of kid that people always sighed over and said, "She has such a wild imagination," which usually meant "I wish Sarah would try to stick to the truth." I have a tendency to embellish: I think its just a weakness of fiction writers. Once you learn how to make a story better, its hard not to do it all the time.
"In high school, I was lucky enough to have a big group of girlfriends that have really inspired a lot of the stories in my books. Im still close with my friends from that time, so its never very hard to put myself back into that place, that voice. Also it doesnt hurt to still be living in my hometown, where its a given that Ill bump into people I had homeroom with, or guys I had big crushes on, while Im pumping gas or buying stamps. It makes it hard to leave high school behind entirely, which is a good or bad thing depending on what day you ask me. I attended college at UNC, where I studied creative writing and graduated with a degree in English. (Which means I can quote small parts of many Great Works. Comes in handy occasionally, like at cocktail parties.) Id been on the five-and-a-half year college plan, and when I graduated my parents were hoping Id settle down and get a Real Job so they could stop worrying about me. But instead of doing the whole resume/pantyhose thing, I decided to stick to my job waiting tables at the world famous Flying Burrito Restaurant and try to publish a novel. At the time, I had only one very bad book Id written my senior year of college and the beginnings of another one. Luckily, my family was supportive and I spent a few years living in a ramshackle little house where I wrote during the day and did the restaurant thing at night.
"Three years after graduating, I sold my first book, That Summer, but it wasnt until a year after that that I got offered a teaching job and left waitressing for good. I still miss it sometimes, though. It was a great job for a writer. Endless conversations to eavesdrop, tons of material, and fast money without ever taking work home. Plus, free Mexican food, the best perk of all. Now, Ive published four books, all for young adults. I never really intended to be YA writer, but the second book I showed my agent she thought had a strong teenage voice, so she sent it off to an editor at Orchard Books, who bought it. Even though it was in a way accidental, Ive found that writing for teens suits me. I do short stories, and other novels, that are for an older audience, but again and again I am brought back to the stories of high school. Maybe its because so much happened to me then that Im not finished yet telling everything. My senior quote was from Pink Floyd (okay, I was a bit of a burnout---I spent a lot of time in the parking lot, whatever, lets move on) and it pretty much summed up my future, although I didnt know it at the time. It was: "The time is gone, the song is over, thought Id something more to say." It turns out that I did.
"The books I read when I was teenager, the good ones anyway, have stuck more in my mind than anything since. I still love books, but while I couldnt tell you complete plots of novels I read even six months ago, I do remember even the smallest descriptive details from Lois Lowrys A Summer to Die or Judy Blumes Are You There God? Its Me, Margaret. I think it was because back then books were still somewhat new to me, and when I found an author who seemed to say just what I was feeling, it really struck me and resonated. I hope that my books do that for the people who read them: I think its the best thing to which any writer can aspire. Now, I teach writing at UNC-Chapel Hill, where Im lucky enough to see my students find their own voice, the way I did in the same program there not so long ago. Teaching is great for me, because I get to show people how writing can really change the way you see not only yourself but the world. Ive found in my own life that if my writing isnt going well, not much else will. It is the one constant, the key to everything else.
"As far as my other life, my non-writing life, I live in the country with my husband, some lizards, and two dogs who are completely spoiled and rule me completely. I like to work in my garden---although I have not yet perfected the art of keeping everything alive----and, in my weaker moments, shop. I have a bit of an addiction to the Gap clearance rack, to be honest. I have this strange need to buy huge quantities of black pants. How many pairs of black pants does one person need? (Obviously for me, the answer is 11 and counting. But I digress.) What else can I tell you? I love Starbucks mochas but they make me way hyper. I subscribe to too many magazines. I make a mean bean salad. I could go on, but the truth is, my books are much more exciting than I am, and thats a good thing. Its always more fun to make stuff up anyway."