She Loves You, She Loves You Not - Julie Anne Peters

Young Adult
Pages: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: June 1, 2011

Seventeen-year-old Alyssa thought she knew who she was. She had her family, her best friends, and most importantly, she had Sarah. Sarah, her girlfriend, with whom she dreamed with about the day they could move far away and live out and proud and accepted for themselves, instead of having to hide their relationship.
Alyssa never thought she would have to make that move by herself, but disowned by her father and cut off from everyone she loves, she is forced to move hundreds of miles away to live with Carly, a mother she barely knows, in a town where everyone immediately dismisses her as 'Carly's girl.' Struggling to forget her past and come to terms with her future, will Alyssa be able to build a new life for herself and believe in love again? Or will she be forced to relive the mistakes that have cost her everything and everyone she cared about?
This compelling novel about coming out, finding love, and discovering your place in the world will speak to anyone who has known the joy and pain of first love and the struggle to start over again.

Sarah Dessen meets GLBT. It's a sweet, wonderfully-written, coming of age novel with a lesbian main character. I'm a huge fan of Julie Anne Peters because she is able to convey so much emotion with her writing and she rarely sugarcoats things. Also, her characters are always incredibly memorable. In She Loves You, She Loves You Not, my favorite character was Arlo. He stole my heart, which is something one of her characters always manages to do when I'm reading Peter's books.

The story was a bit slow-paced, but other than that, I had no complaints. The plot, like I said, reminded me a lot of Dessen's books. Girl moves with her mom to small town, finds a job at at the local restaurant, struggles with her past and what she left behind, and finds a new crush that has a few issues of her own. But the bits and pieces were so interesting to me. For starters I has never read from the point of view of a lesbian character. That was new for me and very eye-opening. Then, I believe that very few times I've read books where a character is on a wheelchair (at the moment I only remember Inside Out and Twilight). Yay for diversity in YA. Last but not least is the mother's career choice. So, definitely a book that brings much more to the table than just a teenage romance.

Overall, I very much enjoyed the story. I cant wait to read what Peters writes next!

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When I'm Not Writing (Guest Post by Julie Anne Peters)

I used to have more hobbies and volunteer activities, but somehow work (writing) has gobbled them up. Occasionally, I’ll foster kittens for a shelter until they’re old enough, or well enough, to be returned for adoption. We have five cats of our own, so feeding them plus a litter of hungry mouths tends to get expensive—not to mention the hours spent scooping litterboxes.

In the summer I like to garden. Vegetables are my nemesis, so I’ve been sticking to hardy perennials and fragrant, colorful flowers. I do most of my new writing in the summer, sitting out on the deck with my Big Chief tablet and a pen (working on my tan at the same time).

Naturally, I catch up on reading during the summer too. Ah, if only I lived near a beach.

I’ll be doing promotions for She Loves You, She Loves You Not… in June. So, in addition to the Teen Book Scene blog tour, on June 1st, I’ll be in Seattle for a book signing at The Secret Garden, and on June 9th, at the Tattered Cover in Denver. All of my speaking engagements will be announced on Facebook and updated on my Web site: www.julieannepeters.com.

These last two years I’ve been mentoring aspiring writers who apply to a writing program through our local chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (rmcscbwi.org). It’s been rewarding watching their writing skills improve and their manuscripts progress. My goal is to get them published and have all of them dedicate their books to me :)

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Julie's amazing new novel, She Loves You, She Loves You Not comes out June 1st!

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Author Guest Review (1) - Tara Kelly

I had this crazy idea of hearing what YA authors have to say about other YA books, specially Unsung YA (as in: not so commercially-popular titles). What better recommendation than one from our beloved authors, right? So I will be doing Author Guest Reviews for books I've really loved.


This is the first author review and the idea was not totally mine, I saw a great Harmonic Feedback review by Ballads of Suburbia's author Stephanie Kuehnert at Nikki's blog YA Reads a while back (See it here). So one day I was chatting about books with Tara Kelly (Harmonic Feedback's awesome debut author) she mentioned how much she loved this amazing book and I decided she should be my first guest and talk about it. The book was:

By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead by Julie Anne Peters
(Goodreads / Amazon)

Tara's thoughts:

I can count on one hand the books that have made me tear up. I'm a very tough reader--it's hard to get an emotional reaction out of me. By The Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead by Julie Anne Peters grabbed me by the throat and didn't let go until the last page. This book gives readers an unapologetic view into the mind of a bullied teen, making it a difficult but unforgettable read that will haunt readers long after putting it down.

Daelyn has been bullied about her weight since Kindergarten. She remembers every single name she was called. Every incident that happened in vivid detail. To quote Daelyn herself: "I don't know why I can't let the insults go, but I can't. I'm the product of every hurt that's ever been laid on me. Human waste product. Dispose of it." (p 27) After a couple failed suicide attempts, she's desperate to get it right this time. Turn the light out for good. She begins visiting a pro-suicide website called Through The Light where she shares her painful experiences and suicide plans. And her plan is set in stone--right down to the exact day.

Enter Santana. Not the band. The persistent boy who sits with her every day after school. Despite her best efforts to push him away, he slowly burrows his way into her shell and shows her a completely different point of view--one she can't seem to ignore.

While I wasn't suicidal, I was bullied in school--and reading Daelyn's experiences brought back a lot of my own painful memories. Like Daelyn, my experiences played in my head for years--to the point where I made myself invisible and kept everyone at arms length. Peters' portrayal of how bullying affects one's self esteem is painfully realistic and heartbreaking. That being said, there were times I wanted to shake Daelyn and tell her to grow a pair. Fight back. But I also understood that--from her perspective--there was no hope. Life would never get better. In a sense, her meticulously planned suicide was an attempt to gain control over her life. Peters didn't shy away from this to make Daelyn more 'likable' so to speak. She chose the realistic route--and I commend her for that.

I'm just glad hope arrived in the form of Santana--who is probably one of my favorite boy characters of all time. He's unique, funny, charming, and perfectly flawed. I can't think of a more perfect match for Daelyn. Even if their connection wasn't romantic, he's just the friend she needed.

While some may call this book 'too dark', I think it's important that we see just how far bullying can push people. How absolutely destructive and life altering it can be for the person being tormented. And I also think it's important that teen readers--who may be in a dark place themselves--see that there is hope and there are people out there who will understand them. They just may not be the people they'd expect or WANT to understand them.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a gripping read that will hit them right in the gut. But I'll warn you of two things--keep a box of Kleenex nearby and prepare to have a mega-crush on Santana.

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Thank you SO much Tara!! I, too, absolutely LOVED this book. See my review of By The Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead here. Check out Tara's book Harmonic Feedback that will be available on May 25th, and my review of it coming next week. Hint: LOVE!

Behind the Book: By the Time You Read This, I'll be Dead

Behind the Book is the feature where I pick the books I've liked the most and have a little chat with the author about how the book came to be. Julie Anne Peters' new book has been one of my favorites this year, although I warn everyone that it is a very dark and harsh book. There might be spoilers to those who have not yet read it. If you like darkish realistic fiction, you should go get yourself a copy of this wonderful book.


-How did you come up with the story?

In October of 2006, I was invited to speak at the ALAN Workshops. ALAN is the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents, an offshoot of the National Council of Teachers of English. C.J. Bott, a former educator and strong voice in the field of bullying, had assembled a panel of authors to address the issue of bullying in literature. A few months before she sent me the presentation title: Don’t Look and It Will Go Away: YA Books—A Key to Uncovering the Invisible Problem of Bullying.

I spent a long time with that title. How easy it is to turn a blind eye to the ugliness in life, the parts we don’t want to see. For my part I planned to read letters from young readers who described the harassment they’d been subjected to at school and at home for coming out as gay. For them bullying ranged from years of taunting and verbal abuse to physical assault to family disownment. Self-injury is high among gay youth, and suicide is mentioned so often in the letters I receive it’s agonizing to know gay youth feel it’s their only way out.

During that same time, there was a special report on TV about kids who’d been so severely bullied in school from kindergarten on that they’d either dropped out or were forced into home schooling. Even if they had pleaded for help, they’d received little or no adult intervention to stop the abuse. Several parents talked about their bullied kids who in the end committed suicide. Later, I’d learn the term for it: bullycide.

I came home from that conference with a thousand questions swirling in my brain. Why do some children survive bullying while others can’t? Are we born with an overarching sense of self-preservation? If we’re given free will at birth, when and why and how do we begin to exercise it in self-destructive ways? If an overly sensitive child is constantly bullied and teased with no relief in sight, how long does it take before she or he loses hope? Why are eight-year-olds cutting? How can we not know our children are hurting?

In this age of technology, where so many kids live their lives as invisible isolates in cyber communities, it wasn’t difficult to invent a site of suicide completers. I do know that many young people who kill themselves act on impulse, and I think that’s why Daelyn, my main character, was forced to wait, to count down the days, to consider all the options and alternatives. I gave her loving parents, trained professionals, God, the possibility of romantic love, a new friend and a fresh beginning. Then I left it up to her to decide her future.

-Does it have to do with your life?

I’ve known people who’ve committed suicide, and I wish they were still here. I wish I could do than provide long-distance comfort for the young people who write to me about how bullied they are. Knowing others feel victimized, less than human, or terrorized every day of their life makes me more determined to advocate for compassion and equality.

-How long did the book take to write?

I was so “in the zone” while writing this book that it took only two weeks. One day I woke from this subconscious state and there was a completed manuscript on my desk. It was titled, By the Time You Read This, I’ll Be Dead. Of course, there would be many revisions and years before the book was published, but it felt as if this story was given to me; it had to be written.

-Can you read other books during the writing process?

Yes and no. If I’m working on a rough draft, the first draft, my brain is usually consumed with those characters and that story, so I can’t really absorb anything else. During revisions, I can turn my writing brain on and off. Plus, I need a break from the rigors of writing to the comfort of falling into a book.

-Why do you write YA?

Because I love to read YA. I may have unresolved adolescent issues . But those years of young adulthood are a time in life where you really discover who you are and what you’re made of. Every choice you make will be tested, every chance will be jumped at or overlooked, and you’ll have to face the consequences. They’re messy years, as far as mucking through the mud of your missteps, but you learn grace, and forgiveness and fortitude. There’s so much dimension to how we become ourselves that I love exploring every aspect of it.

Thank you, Julie!!!

Official Website
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By the Time you Read This, I'll be Dead - Julie Anne Peters

Young Adult
Pages: 224
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
Release Date: January 5, 2010

Daelyn Rice is broken beyond repair, and after a string of botched suicide attempts, she's determined to get her death right. She starts visiting a website for "completers"- www.through-the-light .com.

While she's on the site, Daelyn blogs about her life, uncovering a history of bullying that goes back to kindergarten. When she's not on the Web, Daelyn's at her private school, where she's known as the freak who doesn't talk.

Then, a boy named Santana begins to sit with her after school while she's waiting to for her parents to pick her up. Even though she's made it clear that she wants to be left alone, Santana won't give up. And it's too late for Daelyn to be letting people into her life.isn't it?

Whoa!! I was not expecting this, specially in such a short read. This is probably the most torn I've been since I finished Ballads of Suburbia. This book is so harsh. And raw. And wrong. And cruel. And depressing. And sick. Oh, and I loved, loved, loved it. Even though my stomach sometimes didn't. I had physical ache while reading, that's how amazing it was. Seriously, I believe every person alive should read it. If you dare to read something so heart-wrenching that will most likely stick with you. It leaves a great message.

The world is a freaking messed up place, no need to hide that. This may be a hard read, but only because it's so real that it hurts. The characters in the book were magnificent. The guy, Santana, I've never been so in love with a realistic-fiction character before. I wanted to tear him out of the book and keep him. He will steal your heart and keep it. The writing was good, felt awkward at times, but worked perfectly.

If you think you have the guts to read about bullying and suicide (Bullycide) you must go pick this up right now. If you read Hate List (Jennifer Brown) and liked it, I think you will find this one really interesting too.

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