Nominated for the Lambda Literary Award!
“An evocative story of the thrills of first love and the anguish of first loss. This will break you and heal you.” —Julie Murphy, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dumplin’
Not to be missed by fans of Dustin Thao, Nina LaCour, and Becky Albertalli, this powerful novel from the acclaimed author of Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit paints a poignant portrait of love in the past, grief in the now, and the healing power of art.
Before: Jess has always struggled with the fire inside her. But when she meets Vivi, everything changes. As they fall for each other, Vivi helps Jess deal with her anger and pain and encourages her to embrace her artistic talent. And suddenly Jess’s future is a blank canvas, filled with possibilities.
After: When Vivi unexpectedly dies, Jess’s perfect world is erased. As she spirals out of control, Jess pushes away everyone around her and throws out her plans for art school. Because art is Vivi and Vivi is gone forever. Right when Jess feels at her lowest, she makes a surprising friend who just might be able to show her a new way to channel her rage, passion, and creativity. But will Jess ever be able to forge a new path for herself without Vivi?
A beautiful exploration of first love and first loss, this novel effortlessly weaves together past and present to tell a profound story about how you can become whole again when it seems like you’ve lost the most important part of yourself.
- A Heartbreaking YA Novel About Grief: After Vivi's unexpected death, Jess throws out her art and spirals, pushing away everyone who tries to help. Can a surprising new friend show her a way to live with the pain?
- An Unforgettable F/F Romance: In the "before," Jess and Vivi fall in love as Vivi gently helps Jess tame the fire inside her and embrace her future as an artist.
- The Healing Power of Art: For Jess, art was Vivi. To heal, she must find a way to reclaim her creativity and passion without the girl who first inspired it.
- Emotional Coming of Age: A poignant and powerful story about finding yourself again after losing the most important part of who you were.
