first review

The first major review of All I Need is in from Kirkus:

ALL I NEED
Author: Susane Colasanti

An unlikely young couple finds true love during summer break—but can it withstand their different lives?

Skye spends her summers vacationing on the Jersey Shore in her family’s large beach house, positive that nothing interesting will ever happen. Unexpectedly, she meets Seth at a party on the last night of the summer, and the chemistry is immediate and intense. A plan to exchange contact information goes awry, and they part not knowing how to find each other. Fate reunites the couple the next summer, and they decide to make their relationship work. Well-to-do Skye and Seth, a boy of lesser means, must find common ground despite their very different lives: Seth worries endlessly about money and paying for his Ivy League education, while Skye is still working through high school dramas. As Seth and Skye feel their way through the trials and tribulations of young love, the world marches on around them, and the two of them shakily navigate how to find their place together in it. Romantic and swooning plotlines filled with chance encounters soon dissipate into the real-life logistics of making a relationship work. Readers shouldn’t fret: The romance ramps back up to a swelling crescendo, sure to leave enthusiasts sighing and reaffirmed about the power of true love.

Grab your blankets and sunscreen now: This is an ideal summer beach book. (Romance. 13 & up)

Good to see that the two main goals for this book may have been achieved. I wanted to write my most romantic book yet. And I wanted to write a fun beach read. Thanks for the affirmations, Kirkus!

spring giveaway

Woot! Vernal equinox is in the hizzouse!

This. Is my favorite day. Of the entire year.

I’ve waited for this day for six months. And now spring is finally here. Forget that it’s still freezing out. Waving my hands in the air because I really don’t care. All that matters is that spring is officially here. The first day of spring makes me so happy that I’m celebrating with a giveaway. My new book, All I Need, comes out in two months on May 21. Want to win an ARC?

Let’s mix it up. We’ll do this one over on my Facebook fan page.

How to enter:

1. Like my Facebook fan page.

2. Comment on the All I Need giveaway post on my fan page with one thing you’re looking forward to this spring.

Giveaway rules:

1. All comments must be made by Wednesday, March 27 at 11:11 pm.

2. Only one comment per entrant will be counted.

3. I will announce the winner on Facebook on Friday, March 29.

4. The winning mailing address must be located in the United States. If you live abroad and have a contact in the States who can receive the prize for you, it can be sent to their address.

Happy springtime, friendly neighbors!

festival time

The NYC Teen Author Festival is here! What does that mean? Fabulous funtivities with your fave authors all week, that’s what.

Here’s the complete schedule of events.

Here’s where you can find me:

Friday, March 22, 2:00-3:00 p.m.
Symposium panel – He Said, She Said
NYPL 42nd Street Branch, 476 5th Avenue
Berger Forum, 2nd Floor

Sunday, March 24, 1:00-1:45 p.m.
Ginormous signing!
Books of Wonder
18 West 18th Street

Hope to see you there!

wheel

Neil deGrasse Tyson on creating your ideal life:

The problem, often not discovered until late in life, is that when you look for things like love, meaning, motivation, it implies they are sitting behind a tree or under a rock. The most successful people recognize, that in life they create their own love, they manufacture their own meaning, they generate their own motivation.

For me, I am driven by two main philosophies, know more today about the world than I knew yesterday. And along the way, lessen the suffering of others. You’d be surprised how far that gets you.

Happy weekend, friendly neighbors 🙂

one million

When people ask if I like my job, I tell them that my job isn’t work. It’s a gift. Confucius said, “Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.” That is exactly how I feel about being an author.

Sometimes I can’t believe this has been my job for six years. I’m so thankful the Universe presented this amazing opportunity. And I’m so thankful I was able to be a high school science teacher for ten years before making my career switch. Reaching out to teens and helping them feel less alone is my purpose in life. That’s why I’m here.

I recently found out that I’m approaching one million books in print. Which is all because of you. So I want to say thank you for everything you have done for me. Thank you for reading my books. Thank you for taking the time to write to me with your emails, comments, and tweets. Thank you for sharing your life and letting me know that you feel inspired to turn your dreams into reality.

Thank you for making this life possible. Much love ❤

someday, someday, maybe

Which book am I kissing this week?

Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham, coming out on April 30. Fortunately, I’m friends with Lauren’s editor, Jen Smith, so I get to read it early. Thanks to Jen for scoring me an ARC!

Wait. Is this the same Lauren Graham we love from Gilmore Girls and Parenthood? Oh yes. Are we surprised that, in addition to being an exceptional actress, LG is a talented writer? Not at all.

Here’s the Someday, Someday, Maybe synopsis.

*

It’s January 1995, and Franny Banks has just six months left of the three-year deadline she set for herself when she came to New York, dreaming of Broadway and doing “important” work. But all she has to show for her efforts so far is a part in an ad for ugly Christmas sweaters, and a gig waiting tables at a comedy club. Her roommates―her best friend Jane, and Dan, an aspiring sci-fi writer―are supportive, yet Franny knows a two-person fan club doesn’t exactly count as success. Everyone tells her she needs a backup plan, and though she can almost picture moving back home and settling down with her perfectly nice ex-boyfriend, she’s not ready to give up on her goal of having a career like her idols Diane Keaton and Meryl Streep. Not just yet. But while she dreams of filling their shoes, in the meantime, she’d happily settle for a speaking part in almost anything—and finding a hair product combination that works.

Everything is riding on the upcoming showcase for her acting class, where she’ll finally have a chance to perform for people who could actually hire her. And she can’t let herself be distracted by James Franklin, a notorious flirt and the most successful actor in her class, even though he’s suddenly started paying attention. Meanwhile, her bank account is rapidly dwindling, her father wants her to come home, and her agent doesn’t return her calls. But for some reason, she keeps believing that she just might get what she came for.

Someday, Someday, Maybe is a story about hopes and dreams, being young in a city, and wanting something deeply, madly, desperately. It’s about finding love, finding yourself, and perhaps most difficult of all in New York City, finding an acting job.

*

That line about wanting something deeply, madly, desperately is the quality of this story I relate to the most. I love novels about dreaming big and refusing to settle for anything less than your heart desires.

And reading a novel while hearing Lorelai Gilmore’s voice the whole time? Even better.