The Trouble with Lexie

The Trouble with Lexie
Author: Jessica Anya Blau
Publisher: HarperCollins
Total Pages: 221
Release: 2016-06-28
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0062416464

“There isn’t a human alive who can resist the charm of Jessica Anya Blau’s novels! A coming-of-age tale for the new millennium, The Trouble with Lexie is one of the most deeply enjoyable—and deeply satisfying—novels I’ve read in ages.” —Joanna Rakoff, author of My Salinger Year From the beloved author of The Summer of Naked Swim Parties and The Wonder Bread Summer comes the jaw-dropping story of Lexie James, a counselor at an exclusive New England prep school, whose search for happiness lands her in unexpectedly wild trouble. Lexie James escaped: after being abandoned by her alcoholic father, and kicked out of the apartment to make room for her mother’s boyfriend, Lexie made it on her own. She earned a Masters degree, conquered terrifying panic attacks, got engaged to the nicest guy she’d ever met, and landed a counseling job at the prestigious Ruxton Academy, a prep school for the moneyed children of the elite. But as her wedding date nears, Lexie has doubts. Yes, she’s created the stable life she craved as a child, but is stability really what she wants? In her moment of indecision, Lexie strikes up a friendship with a Ruxton alumnus, the father of her favorite student. It’s a relationship that blows open Lexie’s carefully constructed life, and then dunks her into shocking situations with headline-worthy trouble. The perfect cocktail of naughtiness, heart, adventure and humor, The Trouble with Lexie is a wild and poignant story of the choices we make to outrun our childhoods—and the choices we have to make to outrun our entangled adult lives.

The Ship We Built

The Ship We Built
Author: Lexie Bean
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2021-05-25
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0525554858

The Ship We Built is an expertly told epistolary middle grade novel about a trans boy learning to stand up for himself--especially to those he loves--and the power of finding a friend who treasures him for all that he is. "Incredibly good; by turns raw, sweet, horrifying, tender, and hopeful."--Laurie Halse Anderson, NYT bestselling and award-winning author of Speak and SHOUT Sometimes I have trouble filling out tests when the name part feels like a test too. . . . When I write letters, I love that you have to read all of my thoughts and stories before I say any name at all. You have to make it to the very end to know. Rowan has too many secrets to write down in the pages of a diary. And if he did, he wouldn't want anyone he knows to read them. He understands who he is and what he likes, but it's not safe for others to find out. Now the kids at school say Rowan's too different to spend time with. He's not the "right kind" of girl, and he's not the "right kind" of boy. His mom ignores him. And at night, his dad hurts him in ways he's not ready to talk about yet. Then Rowan discovers another way to share his secrets: letters. Letters he attaches to balloons and releases into the universe, hoping someone new will read them and understand. But when he befriends a classmate who knows what it's like to be lonely and scared, even at home, Rowan realizes there might already be a person he can trust right by his side.

Lexie's Little Lie

Lexie's Little Lie
Author: Emma Shevah
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.
Total Pages: 282
Release: 2019-04-02
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1492663832

"...the story is full of heart and will resonate with Raina Telgemeier fans."—School Library Journal New from the highly acclaimed author of Dream On, Amber and Dara Palmer's Major Drama—who knew one little lie could cause so much trouble? Lexie and her cousin Eleni are super-crazy-mega-extra-seriously close. They're like twins who aren't actually twins, if that's possible. But when Lexie tells a terrible, jealous lie, her whole family is split apart. It's up to Lexie to bring them all back together and fix her relationship with Eleni. After a few calamitous escapades, Lexie has discovered that there are all sorts of truths and all sorts of lies too...But can telling the truth be more hurtful than telling a lie? A Junior Library Guild Selection Praise for Emma Shevah: "[This] novel is a charmer...While its humor and illustrations lend it Wimpy Kid appeal, its emotional depth makes it stand out from the pack. Molto bene!"—Booklist, STARRED Review on Dream on, Amber "Dara's larger-than-life personality and true-to-life middle grade issues command center stage until the curtain falls"—School Library Journal, STARRED Review for Dara Palmer's Major Drama Great for anyone looking for books for kids: with a story about lying and the choices we must make. offering social emotional learning to target crucial skill sets.

The Missing Years

The Missing Years
Author: Lexie Elliott
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 384
Release: 2019-04-23
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0399586962

A woman's unsolved family history comes back to haunt her in an eerie, old, isolated manor in the Scottish Highlands. Ailsa Calder has inherited half of a house. The other half belongs to a man who disappeared from her life without a trace twenty-seven years ago—her father. Leaving London behind to settle the inheritance, Ailsa returns to her childhood home, nestled amongst the craggy peaks of the Scottish Highlands, joined by the half-sister who's almost a stranger to her. Ailsa can't escape the claustrophobic feeling that the house itself is watching her—as if her past hungers to consume her. She also can't ignore how the neighborhood animals refuse to set one foot within the gates of the garden. When the first nighttime intruder shows up and the locals in the isolated community pry into her plans for the manor, Ailsa becomes terrified that the mysteries surrounding the beautiful old home will cost her everything.

The Wonder Bread Summer

The Wonder Bread Summer
Author: Jessica Anya Blau
Publisher: Harper Collins
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2013-05-28
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0062199560

“Picaresque, properly funny, unpredictable and altogether irrepressible.” —Nick Hornby, The Believer Jessica Anya Blau, author of The Summer of Naked Swim Parties and Mary Jane, delivers a darkly hilarious, heartbreaking coming-of-age novel with The Wonder Bread Summer. In The Wonder Bread Summer, loosely based on Alice in Wonderland, 20-year-old Allie Dodgson has adventures that rival those Alice had down the rabbit hole. Or those of Weeds’ Nancy Botwin. Allison is working at a dress shop to help pay for college. The dress shop turns out to be a front for drug dealers. And Allison ends up on the run—with a Wonder Bread bag full of cocaine. With a hit man after her, Allison wants the help of her parents. But there’s a problem: Her mom took off when Allison was eight; her dad moves so often Allison that doesn’t even have his phone number…. Set in 1980s California, The Wonder Bread Summer is a wickedly funny and fresh caper that’s sure to please fans of Christopher Moore, Carl Hiaasen, and Marcy Dermansky.

Bright and Deadly Things

Bright and Deadly Things
Author: Lexie Elliott
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 385
Release: 2023-02-14
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0593098749

A remote back-to-basics mountaintop retreat in the French Alps turns deadly as an Oxford fellow finds herself in the crosshairs of her late husband’s dangerous secrets. The Chalet des Anglais should be the ideal locale for recently widowed Oxford don Emily to begin cutting through the fog of her grief. With no electricity, running water, or access by car, the rustic chalet nestled at the foot of the snow-topped Alps should afford Emily space to heal. Joining her will be a collection of friends from the university, as well as other fellows, graduates, and undergraduates. Something feels off, though, and heightens Emily’s existing anxiety. Tension among the guests is palpable and as hostilities grow, Emily begins to wonder if the chalet’s dark history has cast a shadow over the retreat. When a student disappears after Emily’s room is ransacked and someone tries to hack into her computer, Emily realizes that she had better separate friend from foe and real from imagined—or the next disappearance may be her own. . .

Before I Let You Go

Before I Let You Go
Author: Kelly Rimmer
Publisher: Harlequin
Total Pages: 411
Release: 2018-04-03
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1488029385

From the author of The Things We Cannot Say, Before I Let You Go explores a hotly divisive topic and asks how far the ties of family love can be stretched before they finally break. “Kelly Rimmer skillfully takes us deep inside a world where love must make choices that logic cannot. Ripped from the headlines and from the heart, Before I Let You Go is an unforgettable novel that will amaze and startle you with its impact and insight.” —Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times bestselling author of The Bookshop at Water’s End “Before I Let You Go is a heartbreaking book about an impossible decision. Kelly Rimmer writes with wisdom and compassion about the relationships between sisters, mother and daughter…. She captures the anguish of addiction, the agonizing conflict between an addict’s best and worst selves. Above all, this is a novel about the deepest love possible.” —Luanne Rice, New York Times bestselling author The 2:00 a.m. call is the first time Lexie Vidler has heard her sister’s voice in years. Annie is a drug addict, a thief, a liar—and in trouble, again. Lexie has always bailed Annie out, given her money, a place to sleep, sent her to every kind of rehab. But this time, she’s not just strung out—she’s pregnant and in premature labor. If she goes to the hospital, she’ll lose custody of her baby—maybe even go to prison. But the alternative is unthinkable. As the weeks unfold, Lexie finds herself caring for her fragile newborn niece while her carefully ordered life is collapsing around her. She’s in danger of losing her job, and her fiancé only has so much patience for Annie’s drama. In court-ordered rehab, Annie attempts to halt her downward spiral by confronting long-buried secrets from the sisters’ childhoods, ghosts that Lexie doesn’t want to face. But will the journey heal Annie, or lead her down a darker path? Don’t miss Kelly Rimmer’s next historical suspense, The Paris Agent, coming July 2023! For more by Kelly Rimmer, look for The Things We Cannot Say Truths I Never Told You The Warsaw Orphan The German Wife

Drinking Closer to Home

Drinking Closer to Home
Author: Jessica Anya Blau
Publisher: Harper Collins
Total Pages: 370
Release: 2011-01-18
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0062042351

“An honest, haunting portrayal of a beguiling, yet maddening family, who together come of age amidst the shifting morals of a country on the cusp of tremendous cultural change. With humor, compassion and a keen insight into the human psyche, Drinking Closer to Home proves that despite the best of intentions, where we come from and where we end up, are even closer than we could ever imagine.” —Robin Antalek, author of The Summer We Fell Apart “So raw and funny I wanted to read parts aloud to strangers.” —Dylan Landis, author of Normal People Don't Live Like This From Jessica Anya Blau, critically-acclaimed author of The Summer of Naked Swim Parties and Mary Jane, a coming-of-age novel about growing up and learning to love your insane family. Drinking Close?r to Home is a poignant and funny exploration of one family’s over-the-top eccentricities—a book Ron Tanner calls “heartfelt and hilarious.”

The Summer of Naked Swim Parties

The Summer of Naked Swim Parties
Author: Jessica Anya Blau
Publisher: Paw Prints
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2009-07-10
Genre:
ISBN: 9781439556436

Over the course of a single summer in 1976 Santa Barbara, California, fourteen-year-old Jamie gains new insights into the confusing world of adolescence, sex, friendship, love, and family, in a poignant coming-of-age tale. A first novel. Original. 40,000 first printing.

The French Girl

The French Girl
Author: Lexie Elliott
Publisher: Atlantic Books
Total Pages: 294
Release: 2018-03-01
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1786495554

She appears, lithe and tanned, by the swimming pool one afternoon. Severine - the girl next door. It was supposed to be a final celebration for six British graduates, the perfect French getaway, until she arrived. Severine's beauty captivates each of them in turn. Under the heat of a summer sky, simmering tensions begin to boil over - years of jealousy and longing rising dangerously to the surface. And then Severine disappears. A decade later, Severine's body is found at the farmhouse. For Kate Channing, the discovery brings up more than just unwelcome memories. As police suspicion mounts against the friends, Kate becomes desperate to resolve her own shifting understanding of that time. But as the layers of deception reveal themselves, Kate must ask herself - does she really want to know what happened to the French girl?