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Roomies

Contributors

By Sara Zarr

By Tara Altebrando

Formats and Prices

Price

$15.99

Price

$20.99 CAD

The countdown to college has begun.

When Elizabeth receives her freshman-year roommate assignment at the beginning of summer, she shoots off an email to coordinate the basics: TV, microwave, mini-fridge. She can’t wait to escape her New Jersey beach town, and her mom, and start life over in California.

That first message comes as a surprise to Lauren in San Francisco; she had requested a single. But if Lauren’s learned anything from being the oldest of six, it’s that you can’t always get what you want, especially when what you want is privacy.

Soon the girls are e-mailing back and forth, sharing secrets even though they’ve never met. With childhood friendships and family relationships strained by change, it suddenly seems that the only people Elizabeth and Lauren can rely on are the complicated new boys in their lives…and each other.

With humor and heart, Sara Zarr, National Book Award finalist for Story of a Girl, and Tara Altebrando, acclaimed author of The Pursuit of Happiness, join forces for a novel about that time after high school when everything feels like it’s ending just as it’s beginning.

  • Praise for Roomies:A YALSA 2015 Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
    *"The authors give the story big doses of humor, sensitivity, and sweetness, along with a complex and realistic cast; EB and Lauren's stories amount to two great novels in one."
    Publishers Weekly (starred review)
  • * "With authentic and distinct voices relayed through a combination of emails and first-person narratives, the authors create a modern and meaningful epistolary novel....A resonant story perfect for any teenager going to college -- or simply struggling to make peace with herself and her world."
    The Bulletin (starred review)
  • "The main characters' back stories are engaging, and the large supporting cast of friends and family members are well-developed and integral to the girls' growth....The novel's deeply embedded theme of transition will have tremendous appeal for any teenager coping with change."
    Kirkus Reviews
  • "Authentic and drama filled."
    Booklist
  • "An honest and pitch-perfect story that's filled to the brim with our most overwhelming emotions: fear, hope, and love."
    Stephanie Perkins, author of Anna and the French Kiss
  • "This winning novel charms from the start. Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando perfectly capture the summer after high school graduation in all its glorious excitement and uncertainty. Required reading for the college bound!"
    Megan McCafferty, NYT bestselling author of Jessica Darling's It List

On Sale
Jun 16, 2015
Page Count
288 pages
ISBN-13
9780316217507

Sara Zarr

About the Author

Sara Zarr was raised in San Francisco, California, and now lives with her husband in Salt Lake City, Utah. She is the author of The Lucy Variations, How to Save a Life, What We Lost, Sweethearts, and the National Book Award finalist Story of a Girl. Her website is http://www.sarazarr.com.

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Tara Altebrando

About the Author

Tara Altebrando is the author of several novels, including The Battle of Darcy Lane, The Best Night of Your (Pathetic) Life and Dreamland Social Club (a Kirkus Reviews Best Book for Teens of 2011). She is also the co-author of Roomies with Sara Zarr. Tara is a Harvard grad living in Astoria, New York, with her husband and two daughters.

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