Hello (From Here)
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
A heartfelt, witty, and thought-provoking YA love story about two teens who fall for each other while forced apart during quarantine, written by two New York Times bestselling authors, and for fans of Five Feet Apart, Anna and the French Kiss, and My Life Next Door
Maxine and Jonah meet in the canned goods aisle just as California is going into lockdown. Max’s part-time job as a personal grocery shopper is about to transform into a hellish gauntlet. Jonah’s preexisting anxiety is about to become an epic daily struggle. As Max and Jonah get to know each other through FaceTime dates, socially distanced playground hangs, and the escalating heartbreaks of the pandemic, they’re pushed apart by what they don’t share and pulled closer by what they do.
As thoughtful, probing, and informed as it is buoyant, romantic, and funny, Hello (From Here) cuts across differences in class, privilege, and mental health, all thrown into stark relief by the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s a novel that looks at the first two months of the quarantine, and adds falling in love to the mess.
"Hello (From Here) isn't just a book about the pandemic." —PopSugar
"It's also a funny, poignant romcom about the unpredictability of love in chaotic times. . . . Excellent." —BCCB
* "Satisfyingly banter-filled." —PW, starred review
“Sweet . . . Effectively rendered.” —Kirkus
"Realistic." —SLJ
"Not your typical romantic comedy, [it's] a timely update of the genre." —Booklist
"Witty, entertaining . . . endearing and relatable.” —Common Sense Media
"An unputdownable story that YA readers will adore.” —Brightly
“Funny, romantic, and eerily familiar.” —author Kelly Loy Gilbert
“Witty, hilarious, heart-filled, and romantic.” —author Jeff Zentner
"In a category of its own. . . . Wonderful.” —Postmedia
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
It's meet-cute pandemic style as Maxine "Max" Mauro and Jonah Stephens trade toilet paper for Clorox wipes the day that Los Angeles goes into lockdown. The white 17-year-olds are aware of each other's looks and humor, but though they're shopping at the same store, they're entering the pandemic in different situations: Max needs the money she gets from delivering groceries to pay for college and help out her single mother—she has to go out, regardless of the risks. More privileged Jonah, meanwhile, diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and grieving the death of his mother, has to be extra careful because his sister is immunocompromised. Baker (Whisper Network, for adults) and King (Sara and the Search for Normal) set their story in the early-Covid days of uncertainty and limited information, showing different kinds of vulnerability—all while writing a satisfyingly banter-filled rom-com told in alternating voices and filled with technological workarounds to the difficulty of in-person meetings (including Max's shopping app). While a side plot involving an old Hollywood scandal peters out, Max and Jonah's struggles with romance, their families, and their individually complicated circumstances make for a timely story that offers a creative take on how hope and romance can persist in difficult times. Ages 12–up. Agents: (for Chandler) Daniel Lazar, Writers House; (for Wesley) Brianne Johnson, Writers House.
