Lily by Any Other Name

By Julie C. Gardner

ISBN: 978-1-945910-35-7

$3.99

 

BUY LINKS:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075YDVGMK

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/lily-by-any-other-name

Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1310056461

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1127406324?ean=2940158915123

 

17-year-old Lily Anderson is ready to wrap herself in a big red bow and give Zach Hewitt the greatest gift in the history of Christmas: Her. But when she pulls a pair of booties from her stocking and learns her forty-year-old mother is pregnant, Lily finds herself adrift, unsure of Zach’s commitment.

Lily hopes Zach will anchor her with promises of love. Unfortunately, his chaotic home-life makes him afraid of those three little words; and Maddie Franklin-in her Amazing Technicolor Dream Thong–makes sure Zach can have her whenever he wants.

With the help of her best friend Sarah, Lily plots to secure her place in Zach’s heart. But after a series of awkward rejections, Lily loses faith in her dream boyfriend, in herself, even in Sarah.

That’s when Lily turns to Adam Connolly, a transfer student whose lash-y eyes and comfortable silences make her question who it is she wants and what she needs. But Adam’s support can’t help her the day Lily discovers her parents’ game-changing secret.

Faced with the truth, Lily must decide how to deal with her family’s past, take hold of her own future, and accept that there are many names for love.

Don’t bother making wishes; what you get is more than enough.

YLOO!*

Book Review- in which she unequivocally states that she loves this book.

I enjoyed the way each chapter in this book was titled- so I decided to join in. And yes, I do love this book! What’s not to love about this book crammed full of delightful, well-developed characters that you will bond with, all trying to sort out the meaning of life, or at least the meaning of senior year in high school. This YA book by bestselling author Julie C. Gardner will delight and engage its target audience (and readers like me who are a bit older.)

As the story begins, we meet Lily Anderson and she is here to tell us her story in an engaging first-person narrative.“…I’ve always been a rule-follower. A Nerd. What if I want to color outside the lines a little?”

It’s the start of Lily’s senior and her life seems to be rolling along. She takes AP classes, is set to be the school’s Salutatorian, and she has her sights set on admission to Stanford. She has ok, regular parents (#justthethreeofus) and a life-long best friend, Boy-Crush Sarah. I smiled when I read that she and her biddies studied for a Hamlet test with notecards- I was a big believer in note cards back in the day. Everything is “glint”.

“And then Zach Hewitt kisses me.” And senior year gets complicated for Lily. Readers will enjoy reading Lily’s honest and open thoughts as she navigates a new romance with all the modern entanglements, new friends and their parties!, and changes in her family.

“People make mistakes. Big Ones. And you have to be willing to forgive them.

But it’s her best friend Sarah who sums up senior year.

“Maybe everything everyone’s done this year comes back to love. Maybe everything was influenced by love.” 

See why I love this book? You will, too!

*YLOO! You Live Only Once- yes, Lily knows her grammar! (misplaced modifier)

“For the record,” I say, “No one asked me to prom. Unless you count Sarah.”

“You’re going with Sarah?” There’s a hint of relief in Adam’s voice, like a sigh with words instead of sounds.

I tilt my head toward the tuxedo shop. “What about you?”

“I haven’t asked anyone,” he says. “Yet.” He shifts his weight from one foot to the other. “So…” He pauses and I start to panic. If he asks me to ditch Sarah and go to prom with him, I’ll have to let him down gently. “Would it be all right with you if I took Brit Randall?” he asks.

Oh.

“All right? With me?” I try to sound off-hand, but it comes out on-handedly. “Why?”

“It seems like you two have gotten closer lately. I don’t want any weirdness between all of us.” “No. No weirdness.” My words skid over themselves. “It’s completely not weird. It’s completely fine, in fact. Honest.”

“Great. I’m glad we’re being honest.”

“Absolutely. Brit’s the best,” I say. “You’ll make perfect prom dates.”

“As long as we’re being honest,” he says, looking down at his shoes, “She’s not my first choice.” Then he adds in a very low voice, “You don’t have to tell her that.”

“What?” I lean toward him, not sure I heard him correctly. Adam lifts his head and his eyes meet mine. This time he speaks slowly and I hear every word.

“I said, Zach Hewitt is an idiot.”

“Oh.” We stare at each other for a moment, both of us silent.

He pulls his phone from his pocket and checks the time. “Well, I don’t want to keep you. You’ve been so busy. With your mom and everything.”

“Right.” My stomach twists. I’m the idiot.

“Things should slow down once my mom’s back home,” I tell him. And if I don’t get back to you on my cell phone—”

“I can always call your house,” he says. “It’s what all the guys do, right?” He brushes my elbow with a loose fist. “See ya, Lil.”

 

Meet the Author:

Julie C. Gardner is the author of Letters for Scarlet and Guest List. A native of Southern California, Julie lives in a suburb of LA with her husband, two children, and three dogs. When Julie isn’t writing, she enjoys reading, napping, and finding new excuses not to run. Lily by Any Other Name is Julie’s first Young Adult novel.

To learn more about the author, visit her website, juliecgardner.com, and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If you sign up for her newsletter, you’ll receive a sample of her humorous marathon memoir, Running with Pencils.