{"product_id":"sunkissed-isbn-9780593176290","title":"Sunkissed","description":"\u003cb\u003eA lighthearted and swoony contemporary YA romance by fan-favorite author Kasie West about a girl who finds that a summer spent at a family resort isn't as bad as she imagined . . . and that falling in love is filled with heartache, laughter, and surprises!\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAvery has always used music as an escape. But after her best friend betrays her, even her perfectly curated playlists can't help her forget what happened. To make matters worse, her parents have dragged her and her social-media-obsessed sister to a remote family camp for two months of \"fun.\" Just when Avery is ready to give up on the summer altogether, she meets Brooks--mysterious, frustratingly charming Brooks--who just happens to be on staff--which means he's off-limits.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhat starts as a disaster turns into. . . something else. As the outside world falls away, Avery embarks on a journey of self-discovery. And when Brooks offers her the chance of a lifetime, she must figure out how far is she willing to go to find out what she wants and who she wants to be. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFan favorite Kasie West is back with another unforgettable summer romance that reminds us falling in love is full of wonder, heartache, and--most of all--surprises.\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eSunkissed\u003c\/i\u003e:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003cb\u003eHits\u003c\/b\u003e all the \u003cb\u003eright\u003c\/b\u003e notes.\" —\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“\u003cb\u003eLight, frothy, swoony!\u003c\/b\u003e Readers who rip through romances in the summer will be happy to have this peeking out of their beach bags.”—\u003ci\u003eSchool Library Journal \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e \"This is a YA title that will definitely get you in the \u003cb\u003emood for summer\u003c\/b\u003e.\"—\u003ci\u003eCulturess\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003ePraise for Kasie West:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"A \u003cb\u003etender\u003c\/b\u003e story about \u003cb\u003efriendship and love\u003c\/b\u003e.\" —\u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"Kasie West books are our kind of \u003cb\u003ecomfort food\u003c\/b\u003e--\u003cb\u003eromantic\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003elight\u003c\/b\u003e and \u003cb\u003ecute\u003c\/b\u003e!\" —\u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003eJustine Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"The \u003cb\u003eperfect\u003c\/b\u003e romantic comedy.\" —\u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003eVOYA\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"This sweet-and-salty, opposites-attract romance has more than a pinch of Pride \u0026amp; Prejudice tucked inside. \u003cb\u003ePrepare for adorable\u003c\/b\u003e.\" —\u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003eJustine Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"A \u003cb\u003esweet, swoony\u003c\/b\u003e love story.\" —\u003ci\u003eRT Book Reviews \u003c\/i\u003eKasie West is the author of many YA novels, including \u003ci\u003eThe Fill-in Boyfriend, P.S. I Like You, Lucky in Love\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eListen to Your Heart\u003c\/i\u003e. Her books have been named ALA-YALSA Quick Picks, JLG selections, and ALA-YALSA Best Books for Young Adults. When she's not writing, she's binge-watching television, devouring books, or bury-ing her toes in the sand of the Central Coast. Kasie lives in Fresno, California, with her family.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYou can find her online at kasiewest.com.\u003cp\u003eChapter 1\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI took a breath and closed my eyes, letting the sun-­drenched glass warm me as I leaned my head against the car window. This was going to be a perfect summer. If I said it enough times, it would come true. After everything that had happened this week, I needed a good summer. The one before my senior year was mine to claim, Dad had said months ago. I was ready to claim it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUp front, my parents had turned the radio to barely audible but I could just make out a Taylor Swift song. My AirPods had lost their charge ten minutes ago, rendering the remainder of my perfectly curated road trip playlist—­\u003ci\u003eStuck in the Backseat with You—­\u003c\/i\u003euseless. As I felt myself drifting toward sleep, my sister’s voice rang out louder than necessary from beside me.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Hey, viewers. Happy summer! We’re on hour four of our car ride and so ready to be done. Say hi to my older sister, Avery!”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLauren had her elbows propped on the pillows between us and was holding up her phone, the camera facing me. Behind her phone, she gave a silent plea that said, \u003ci\u003eGive me something, anything, aside from your normal boring face.\u003c\/i\u003e Since boring was the face I was born with, I held up a peace sign, which apparently was good enough, because she flipped the recording back to her. “This year, the parents are taking us to the middle of the forest. Are you ready to join us?” She pointed the camera out the car window, the tall pine trees zooming by in a hazy blur.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe middle of the forest\u003c\/i\u003e wasn’t exactly how I’d describe the four-­star family camp we’d be spending the summer at, but exaggeration is the key to any good social media video. I shook my AirPod case as if that would make them charge faster. I needed some noise-­canceling, head-­clearing music.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Did you girls pack your swimsuits?” Mom asked, even though there was nothing we could do about it now, four hours from home, if we hadn’t.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLauren dropped her hand. “Mom, I was recording.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Oh, sorry,” Mom whispered.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Well, I’m not anymore.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“I hear there’s a huge Slip ’N Slide at this camp,” Dad said, as if this was the most exciting thing a seventeen-­ and a fifteen-­year-­old could hear. “Supersized for super kids.” He laughed at his own joke, and I couldn’t help but laugh too.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLauren gave me the \u003ci\u003eReally?\u003c\/i\u003e look, then said, “There’s real water, too, though, right?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Real water?” Mom asked.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A lake or something?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Yes, there’s a lake \u003ci\u003eand\u003c\/i\u003e a pool,” Dad responded as he took a curve too fast, pushing me against the door.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“I don’t know why we couldn’t just go to the camp we went to a couple years ago,” Lauren complained. “It was closer and the roads weren’t so windy.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Because this year is our epic adventure,” Dad said. “Next summer Avery will be so busy prepping for college she’ll boycott a family vacation.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“So true,” I said, and smiled when my mom turned around to make sure she shouldn’t be offended. When she saw my face, she gave my leg a little slap.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBoth my parents had summers off. Mom was a professor at UCLA and Dad taught sixth grade and coached middle-­school basket­ball. So most summers for as long as I could remember, we went on an “adventure.” Sometimes it was a cabin on the lake or a KOA near the beach. And most of the time, it really was an adventure. Sometimes even a good one.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMy phone vibrated against my thigh on the seat next to me, and I immediately tensed. I didn’t want to look. I didn’t want to read more excuses. I was trying to start my perfect summer. It buzzed again. I sucked in a breath and looked at the screen. As I expected, it was from my best friend, Shay.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eI’m sorry. I can’t go the whole summer knowing you’re mad at me. It was an accident.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI wasn’t sure how one \u003ci\u003eaccidentally\u003c\/i\u003e kissed their best friend’s ex-­boyfriend. Trent and I had only been broken up for a couple weeks! I had even thought we might get back together. Now I wondered if Shay was the real reason we’d broken up in the first place. They obviously liked each other. I felt stupid for thinking Trent and I had just hit a rough spot and would work it out.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnother message popped up.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eIt was a big mistake. We were both just talking about how you were leaving for the whole summer and how much we were going to miss you! Please forgive me.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI put the phone, screen down, on the seat, as if the messages would go away if I couldn’t see them.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Hello, everyone!” Lauren said again into her camera. “Time for our summer trek into a wooded forest. Trees and lakes and excitement. Hope you’re all ready to join me. Say hi, Avery.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe recording was on me again. I could feel my eyes stinging from the texts. I clenched my teeth and willed myself to control the tears. Finally, I faced Lauren and puffed my cheeks out like a blowfish, a creature with a defense mechanism I could appreciate.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShe lowered her phone and raised her eyebrows. “Can I post that?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI honestly didn’t care what her fifty followers thought of me. Well, actually I did . . . and I hated myself for that. But she was giving me that pleading look again.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI sighed. “Post away.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Thank you!” Her eyes were back on her phone, watching  the clip.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI turned my attention to the very-­much-­still-­there texts on my phone.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShay had been my best friend since the summer before third grade, when she declared me such through a fence. She’d moved into the house behind us, and we’d met one day when her ball flew over the fence and directly into my head. I’d given her ball back, and after that we talked every day through a crack for weeks before we convinced our parents to let us actually hang out. And that’s how it had felt when she told me what happened with Trent: like a ball to the head all over again—­unexpected and embarrassing—­except without the happy ending.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMy dad took another curve too fast.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Ugggh,” Lauren said, grabbing her stomach. “I’m going to be sick.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI scooted closer to my window. The last thing I needed was a lapful of vomit.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMom smacked Dad’s arm. “Slow down.” Then she turned in her seat. “Do you need a plastic bag?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Didn’t you take Dramamine?” I asked.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Yes, \u003ci\u003eAvery,\u003c\/i\u003e I took Dramamine. But obviously it’s not helping.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“I was just asking,” I said.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“You weren’t just asking. You were trying to say I had done something wrong.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMy sister and I weren’t exactly best friends, which was why she had no idea about my crappy week or the unanswered texts waiting on my phone. Nobody knew. “I’m sorry. That’s not what I meant.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI caught my dad’s eye in the rearview mirror and he mouthed, \u003ci\u003e“Fire and Ice.”\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor the past couple years, Dad had taken to calling my sister and me Fire and Ice. We were opposites in nearly every way. Lauren was dramatic and over the top; I was chill and go with the flow. Lauren’s looks begged to be noticed. She was tall and strong and had bright blond hair and big \u003ci\u003eblue\u003c\/i\u003e eyes. She always seemed happy, even when she was being a total grump. I, on the other hand, was one of those people who blended in. I had plain brown hair and a normal build. My smile was nice but nothing that drew stares. I did like my eyes. They were hazel, and I could say a lot with my eyes. Even though we were opposites, I didn’t love the nickname (who wanted to be compared to ice?) but I loved my dad and I knew he thought it was cute and funny, so I did what any chill person would do—­ignored it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Pull over! Pull over!” Lauren screeched, unbuckling her seat belt.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMom riffled around by her feet and Dad jerked the car to the right and stopped on the dirt shoulder. Mom held a plastic bag in the air just as my sister flung open the door, jumped out, and threw up all over the side of the road with loud, heaving retches. She was dramatic with everything she did, even barfing. She moaned, bracing her hands against her knees, waiting for another round.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMom turned to Dad. “Not sure why you’re in such a hurry.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“I’m just driving.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“You know she gets sick when you take the curves like that.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI looked down at my phone, still trying to decide how to respond.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eIt’s great!\u003c\/i\u003e I typed. \u003ci\u003eNow we can compare notes and buy him extra ChapStick.\u003c\/i\u003e I immediately erased the text. Now was not the time for a dumb joke. \u003ci\u003eIt’s fine,\u003c\/i\u003e I typed this time. \u003ci\u003eWe’ll be fine.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMy finger hovered over the send button. \u003ci\u003eFine\u003c\/i\u003e wasn’t how I felt. I felt betrayed and angry and confused and alone. I felt like I’d lost my best friend and my boyfriend in the same week. I wanted to give her the silent treatment for a while. But I hated feeling like this. I didn’t want to lose her. The sooner I forgave her, the sooner we could get past this.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe muffled sound of my sister’s voice drew my attention. With her back pressed against the window, she recorded another video. I couldn’t hear what she was saying, but it was probably something about throwing up. I didn’t understand her videos at all.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ember","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46303676432613,"sku":"NP9780593176290","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780593176290.jpg?v=1767737539","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/sunkissed-isbn-9780593176290","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}