



The Trouble with Destiny
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3.0 • 5 Ratings
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- $5.99
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
"I absolutely loved this book. I never wanted this journey to end!" says Morgan Matson, New York Times bestselling author of The Unexpected Everything, of this fun and irresistible contemporary YA about high school romance & mischief on the high seas.
With her trusty baton and six insanely organized clipboards, drum major Liza Sanders is about to take Destiny by storm—the boat, that is. When Liza discovered that her beloved band was losing funding, she found Destiny, a luxury cruise ship complete with pools, midnight chocolate buffets, and a $25,000 spring break talent show prize.
Liza can’t imagine senior year without the band, and nothing will distract her from achieving victory. She’s therefore not interested when her old camp crush, Lenny, shows up on board, looking shockingly hipster-hot. And she’s especially not interested in Russ, the probably-as-dumb-as-he-is-cute prankster jock whose ex, Demi, happens be Liza’s ex–best friend and leader of the Athenas, a show choir that’s the band’s greatest competition.
But it’s not going to be smooth sailing. After the Destiny breaks down, all of Liza’s best-laid plans start to go awry. Liza likes to think of herself as an expert at almost everything, but when it comes to love, she’s about to find herself lost at sea.
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“All aboard for hijinks, crushes, and a sweet story of banding together.” —Emery Lord, author of Open Road Summer
"I adored this fun and heartfelt book. It's a pleasure cruise from start to finish, with plenty of waves along the way!" --Leila Howland, author of Nantucket Blue
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Band geeks and those who love them are a natural audience for this lighthearted romantic comedy from Morrill (Being Sloane Jacobs), which takes place on a cruise ship full of high school students participating in a performing arts competition. The ship, Destiny, proves an ideal setting for both romantic and performing-arts-related high jinks, and high-energy, high-strung drum major Liza Sanders is a cheerful, can-do narrator, whose investment in her leadership role is amusing and endearing. Liza is determined to save her school's band from folding due to budget cuts by winning the competition's $25,000 grand prize, even as she spars with rivals (Liza's ex-friend Demi leads up a competing school's dance team), juggles multiple crushes, and tries to manage her bandmates' antics. Well-chosen details of the surreal nature of life aboard a cruise ship (not to mention as a member of a high school band) add authenticity to an upbeat story about underdogs, saving something worthwhile, mending fences with old friends, and finding love in unexpected places. A Paper Lantern Lit property. Ages 12 up.