Synopses & Reviews
Ellen loves Link and James. Her older brother and his best friend are the only company she ever wants. She knows they fight, but she makes it a policy never to take sides. She loves her brother, the math genius and track star. She is totally, madly in love with James, his face full of long eyelashes and hidden smiles. “When you grow out of it,” James teases her, “you will break my heart.”
Ellen knows shell never outgrow it. Shell always love James just the way shell always love Link. Then someone at school asks if Link and James might be in love with each other. A simple question.
Link refuses to discuss it. James refuses to stay friends with a boy so full of secrets. Ellens parents want Link to keep his secrets to himself, but Ellen wants to know who her brother really is. When is curiosity a betrayal? And if James says he loves her, isnt that just another way of saying he still loves Link?
My Heartbeat is a fast, furious story in which a quirky triangle learns to change its shape and Ellen, at least, learns the limits of what you can ever know about whom you love.
Review
"Narrator Ellen learns about love, family and 'society's unwritten rules' in this sophisticated but gentle novel." —
Publishers Weekly, Starred
"A tightly constructed novel about love, family, and the ambiguities of sexual identity." —School Library Journal, Starred
"Freyman-Weyr writes an astonishing combination of delicacy and clarity of the genuine complexity of family (and all) relationships." —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Starred
"Freymann-Weyr sets up a riveting love triangle. As in the author's first novel, When I Was Older, one of the standout qualities is the protagonist's fresh, vital tone." —Horn Book, Starred
"The fast, clipped dialog will sweep teens into the story, as will Ellens immediate first-person, present-tense narrative, 'curious, careful, kind, and intense.' The family dynamics are just as compelling as the love and friendship drama, especially Ellens bewilderment about the unwritten laws that can make people strangers even within the family they love." —Booklist, ALA, Starred Review
"...it will engage teen readers to the very last page." —Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Readers will appreciate how real this story feels, in its telling details and careful conversations . . . This is an expertly crafted story about a complicated first love."--
Publishers Weekly, starred review
"The books strengths lie in the characterizations and the authors ability to convey the many complex layers of love. With its wise writing and literary word choices, this is a smart book . . . "--Kirkus Reviews
". . . an engaging male-coming-of-age tale that explores notions of violence, devotion, and trust against a thought-provoking backdrop of love and war."--Horn Book
"The authors prose is at once spare and sophisticated, and the resulting mood gentle and furious by turns. Simple details-Leigh synchronizing bites of cake with Maia-evoke astonishing emotion. The DC suburbs are appropriately generic, and the guilty comforts of the prep-school world are thoughtfully presented. The story begins and ends four years after Leigh and Maia part, and a sense of tense foreboding moves the plot."--School Library Journal
“Freymann-Weyr . . . writes with polished intensity . . . Subtle, reflective, and emotional, this is a fascinating complement to Chris Lynchs Inexcusable in its exploration of a young man who cant see beyond himself enough to avoid devastating the person he loves most.”--The Bulletin
"Freymann-Weyr offers another rare, sophisticated exploration of love at the end of adolescence . . . Within this storys raw, honest, psychologically attuned scenes, older teens will find their own aching questions about how best to love, shape a future, and “do the right thing.”--Booklist, starred review
"Written with great heart, this book caters to readers young and old."--Romantic Times
"Freymann-Weyrs newest novel about relationships (familial, romantic, friendship) does not disappoint. The author delicately balances a love story with family obligations, violence, and the perils of being a nice guy. Leighs fascination with the war and misguided chivalry challenge ideas about masculinity and its relation to aggression. Maias troubled nature and sometimes inexplicable actions are sure to spark debate. Several elements in this novel—multifaceted characters, ambiguous motivations, and gender dynamics—lend themselves to lively group discussions. Hand this one to mature readers who will get the most out of complex themes."--VOYA, (4Q4P)
Review
"[Freymann-Weyr's] characters are brilliant, with fascinating families." KLIATT 11/01/07 KLIATT
Review
"All of the protagonists . . .are pushed to ask themselves what expectations other people have of them and whether or not they have accepted these as their own. In the end, Maggie and the others become fully realized characters whose actions cannot be predicted by a YA lit algorithm."
—School Library Journal
"A powerful tale with an emotional rawness that will resonate with readers."
—Booklist
"Dinnison adeptly portrays the rising and falling hopes within an unconventional love triangle. . . . Readers will follow [Maggie] eagerly as she finds her voice and identity."
—Publishers Weekly
"Fans of realistic fiction featuring friendship, loyalty, and trust will enjoy this book."—VOYA
"Firmly at the center stands a protagonist whose likable voice and authentic struggle to accept herself and find love in a world that would rather she shrink back—not to mention her crackling chemistry with Tom—lend this fresh, contemporary romantic comedy considerable appeal."
—Horn Book Magazine
Synopsis
Garret Freymann-Weyr's Printz Honor winner and classic of LGBTQ literature about a quirky love triangle that learns to change its shape, the family pressures surrounding "coming out," and the boundless nature of love, celebrates ten years in print in its first Graphia paperback edition.
Synopsis
Ellens older brother and his best friend are the only company she ever wants. She
loves her brother, but she is totally, madly in love with James. Then someone at school
asks if Link and James might be in love with each other.
Link wont discuss it, but James doesnt want secrets. Ellen just wants to know who
her brother really is.
This new edition includes an introduction by Michael Cart and an afterword from
the author.
Synopsis
A new novel by the Printz Honor author Garret Freymann-Weyr, about a boy who discovers what happens when love fails us—or we fail love.
Maia Morland is pretty, only not pretty-pretty. Shes smart. Shes brave. Shes also a self-proclaimed train wreck.
Leigh Hunter is smart, popular, and extremely polite. Hes also completely and forever in love with Maia Morland.
Their young love starts off like a romance novel—full of hope, strength, and passion. But life is not a romance novel and theirs will never become a true romance. For when Maia needs him the most, Leigh betrays both her trust and her love.
Told with compassion and true understanding, After the Moment is about what happens when a young man discovers that sometimes love fails us, and that, quite often, we fail love.
Synopsis
* Small moments will stay with readers. . . . The vivid characters in Leilas extended family are all realistically flawed but tender with each other, as they learn that while they are never to be the same . . . its enough that were each still here.” Publishers Weekly, starred review The outstanding strength of this book is Leilas narration. Leila is a character readers will care about and want to know. It is a perfect book to hand fans of Sarah Dessen or Laurie Halse Anderson.”VOYA When her half sister commits suicide, sixteen-year-old Leila Abranel has only one question: why? That question sets Leila on a journey toward discovery, uncertainty, and love. Rich with an intricate and mesmerizing family history, Stay with Me is a story of an unforgettable girl coming of age in the midst of grief, mystery, and, ultimately, awakening.
Synopsis
Maggie Bowers thinks she knows what to expect her junior year of high school—yeah, it would be nice if her mother didn’t care so much about her weight, but at least she has Nash, her out-of-the-closet best friend and a cool afterschool job at the local record store. But when Tom moves to town at the start of the school year, they have something unexpected in common—feelings for the same guy. Up until now Maggie and Nash they have always chosen each other, but what if winning someone’s heart means losing their soul mate?
Synopsis
“Do not ignore a call from me when you know I am feeling neurotic about a boy. That is Best Friend 101.” —Nash
Maggie and Nash are outsiders. She’s overweight. He’s out of the closet. The best of friends, they have seen each other through thick and thin, but when Tom moves to town at the start of the school year, they have something unexpected in common: feelings for the same guy. This warm, witty novel—with a clear, true voice and a clever soundtrack of musical references—sings a song of love and forgiveness.
About the Author
Garret Freymann-Weyr grew up in New York City and often sets her books there. She went to college at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and received an MFA in film from New York University. She has written four books for young adults, including My Heartbeat, which won a Printz Honor for excellence in literature for young adults. Her books have been published in numerous countries including the Netherlands, Japan, and China. She currently lives outside Washington, D. C., with her husband. She has said that the best way to get ideas is to read a lot. “That gets you thinking in terms of story, character, and image.