Life by Committee

Secret: I kissed someone else's boyfriend.

Like most who find Life by Committee, Tabitha is a little lost. Her best friend has ditched her, her Vermont town is feeling way too small, and she's falling head over heels for a guy named Joe—who already has a girlfriend. Just when Tab is afraid she'll burst from keeping the secret of Joe inside, she discovers Life by Committee. The rules of LBC are simple: tell a secret, receive an assignment. Complete the assignment to keep your secret safe.

Tab likes it that the assignments push her to her limits, empowering her to live boldly and go further than she'd ever go on her own. But in the name of truth and bravery, how far is too far to go?

Perfect for fans of E. Lockhart and Jennifer E. Smith, Life by Committee is a fresh, vibrant novel about the power of wanting, the messiness of friendship, and the truths we hide and share.

One secret gets Tabitha an assignment. But every assignment leads to another secret.

• Love Triangle: Tabitha wants Joe. The only problem? He already has a girlfriend, and Tab’s first assignment is to kiss him again.
• Secrets and Lies: The rules of Life by Committee are simple: share a secret, get an assignment. But keeping her secrets safe means pushing every boundary she has.
• Small Town Setting: In a Vermont town that feels way too small, Tabitha is losing her best friend and her sense of self all at once.
• Coming of Age Story: For every dare she completes, Tabitha feels more alive—and more lost. How far is too far to go to find yourself?

Some secrets are too good to keep.

Tabitha might be the only girl in the history of the world who actually gets less popular when she gets hot. But her so-called friends say she's changed, and they've dropped her flat.

Now Tab has no one to tell about the best and worst thing that has ever happened to her: Joe, who spills his most intimate secrets to her in their nightly online chats. Joe, whose touch is so electric, it makes Tab wonder if she could survive an actual kiss. Joe, who has Tabitha brimming with the restless energy of falling in love. Joe, who is someone else's boyfriend.

Just when Tab is afraid she'll burst from keeping the secret of Joe inside, she finds Life by Committee. The rules of LBC are simple: tell a secret, receive an assignment. Complete the assignment to keep your secret safe.

Tab likes it that the assignments push her to her limits, empowering her to live boldly and go further than she'd ever go on her own.

But in the name of truth and bravery, how far is too far to go?

“Haydu is a masterful wordsmith…A raw and well-crafted alternative to run-of-the-mill teen romances that also addresses tough mental health issues head-on.” - Kirkus Reviews

“Heartwarming, frequently funny, and wholly honest, this debut novel is, well, compulsively readable.” - Horn Book (starred review)

“Debut novelist Haydu doesn’t sugarcoat the difficulties of OCD or reduce her characters to a symptom list.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A compelling portrait of teen behavioral disorders and the struggle to overcome or, at the very least, balance them.” - Booklist

“Warning: this book could cause obsessive compulsivereading. Funny, honest and real, OCD Love Story stars one of themost likeable narrators in recent YA fiction. Once you start this book, you will find that, like Bea, you just can’t help yourself.” - Patricia McCormick

“Bea is a completely endearing original, and the book manages to subtly steer her narration through denial of her condition to acceptance without ever losing her essential charisma...Bea remains witty, affecting, and ferociously individual throughout, and readers will delight to know her as they understand her—and possibly themselves—better.” - Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)

“Haydu gets at the push-pull between wanting to keep and to divulge secrets, as well as the way that anatomy can feel like destiny.” - Publishers Weekly

“A well-crafted twist ushers the book to a satisfying, uplifting conclusion with a resonant message about secrets—how much weight we afford them, and how much lighter sharing them can make us feel.” - Horn Book (starred review)

“An authentic, heartfelt read about the power of truth and the beauty of self-discovery.” - Sarah Ockler, author of #scandal and Twenty Boy Summer

“Life by Committee is a fun, smart, and moving read with every delicious ingredient-romance, secrets, and unexpected twists. Assignment: Read this one.” - Deb Caletti, National Book Award Finalist and author of Honey, Baby, Sweetheart and The Last Forever

“(Not so) Secret: I immediately fell in love with Corey Ann Haydu’s wonderful, fresh story about truth, love, and bravery. Your assignment: Read Life by Committee immediately!” - Elizabeth Eulberg, author of The Lonely Hearts Club and Better off Friends

“This book is brilliant, thrumming with honesty and surprising truths.” - Terra Elan McVoy, author of Pure and The Summer of Firsts and Lasts

“Haydu captures the wild emotions of adolescence: the surging hormones, the power of getting people to pay attention because of your body, and the confusion over how that makes you feel….Readers who are avidly involved in social media communities will relate to the thrill of confessing secrets to strangers.” - School Library Journal

“Looking for a book to read and discuss? This is it.” - Kirkus Reviews