A queer YA romance sizzling with chemistry by bestselling Kelly Quindlen, perfect for fans of Lex Croucher and Elle McNicoll.
When Louisa unexpectedly inherits a struggling gay bar from her late great-uncle, she's determined to keep it open for the vibrant queer community that calls it home.
Louisa's mission puts her on a collision course with Aubrey: the pretty, popular, and sharp-tongued daughter of their college town's newly crowned football coach. The girls start off on the wrong foot, but a tentative truce leads to a growing spark...
Things threaten to sputter out when the bar faces an existential threat from Aubrey's dad, who plans to turn it into a sports facility.
How much is Louisa willing to lose in the fight for her new found family? Kelly Quindlen is the bestselling author of the young adult novels She Drives Me Crazy (winner of the Volunteer State Book Award), Late to the Party, and Her Name in the Sky. Her books have been featured in The New York Times, Business Insider, Vulture, and Paste. Kelly enjoys speaking to high school GSAs, PFLAG groups, and all manner of LGBTQ+ positive organizations. She lives in Atlanta with her fiancée and their saucy cat, Peach Marie. Kelly Quindlen is back with another affirming, warm and charming contemporary sapphic love story with a childhood-friends-to-lovers arc.
"Narrator Piper Goodeve brings emotional depth to Louisa Wade, an 18-year-old who returns to Rustin, Alabama, for her great-uncle George's funeral. Having recently come out as gay, Louisa plans to return to college immediately, but inheriting George's gay bar, the Frisky Cricket, derails her plans. Determined to save the bar, which she sees as a haven for the local LGBTQ+ community, Louisa fights to prevent its sale to Rustin University's football program. Much to her chagrin, she finds the football coach's daughter, Aubrey, attractive despite their initial personality clash. With an expressive narration, Goodeve deftly captures Louisa's conflicting feelings about her family, relationships, and life in general while bringing the rest of the cast to life with subtle vocal differentiations.
Goodeve's engaging performance makes this coming-of-age story compelling. (Fiction. 14-18)"
