Book Smarts and Tender Hearts is my debut young adult novel.
Finalist for the 2019 Oregon Book Award, Book Smarts and Tender Hearts is a queer coming-of-age story about zines, crushes, and the ways relationships change.
"It's possible that nothing has ever been as out of place as me right now, standing in this room. . ."
Hannah is sixteen and doesn’t feel like she fits in anywhere. Brainy, fat, and secretly in love with her best friend Liz, she’s always found solace in her sweet and loving grandma. In the spring of 1996, as Gran moves into an Alzheimer’s care center and Liz falls for yet another boy, Hannah branches out to find community on her own. She discovers zines, works up the confidence to attend a local LGBTQ youth group, and makes some new friends who help her begin to figure out how to balance her book smarts with her tender heart.
Finalist for the 2019 Oregon Book Award, Book Smarts and Tender Hearts is a queer coming-of-age story about zines, crushes, and the ways relationships change.
"It's possible that nothing has ever been as out of place as me right now, standing in this room. . ."
Hannah is sixteen and doesn’t feel like she fits in anywhere. Brainy, fat, and secretly in love with her best friend Liz, she’s always found solace in her sweet and loving grandma. In the spring of 1996, as Gran moves into an Alzheimer’s care center and Liz falls for yet another boy, Hannah branches out to find community on her own. She discovers zines, works up the confidence to attend a local LGBTQ youth group, and makes some new friends who help her begin to figure out how to balance her book smarts with her tender heart.
Read Book Smarts and Tender Hearts
Buy the paperback book through Powells, a paperback or Kindle copy through Amazon, or a paperback or Nook copy through Barnes and Noble! It's also available for checkout through the Multnomah County Library.
You can find Book Smarts and Tender Hearts on the shelves at these independent bookstores:
Book Smarts and Tender Hearts is distributed through Ingram, so your favorite local bookstore or library can order a copy from them. The paperback ISBN is 9781732408203, and the eBook ISBN is 9781732408210.
You can find Book Smarts and Tender Hearts on the shelves at these independent bookstores:
- Broadway Books in Portland, Oregon
- Northtown Books in Arcata, California
- Quimby's in Chicago, Illinois
Book Smarts and Tender Hearts is distributed through Ingram, so your favorite local bookstore or library can order a copy from them. The paperback ISBN is 9781732408203, and the eBook ISBN is 9781732408210.
Readers love Book Smarts and Tender Hearts
"Book Smarts and Tender Hearts is a lovely read, and I hope that it finds its way to the shelves and dressers of teen readers who need to know they aren’t alone and that fat isn’t the worst thing someone can be. It’s an emotionally layered story that deals with themes of aging, coming out, friendship, and first/early lives. It takes the reader on a cathartic journey and is well worth your time."
"This is a delightful and sweet YA novel about change, friendship, love, and identity. It made me laugh, cry, and wince."
"Shelley's debut novel, Book Smarts and Tender Hearts, will plunge you right back into your high school days in the best way possible. This queer-friendly, body-positive story captures the excitement and awkwardness of being a teenager and figuring yourself out for the first time. It touches on how friendships can change as you grow into your adult self, the challenges of navigating the dynamics of new and old crushes, and discovering your voice and beliefs for the first time. I loved this book and couldn't put it down from the moment I picked it up. I completely fell in love with the characters and cried my way through the ending. Totally recommended!!!"
"Sooo good. The beautiful prose brought me back to the flannel and the feelings of being sixteen in the mid-90s. The characters just felt real."
"This is a delightful and sweet YA novel about change, friendship, love, and identity. It made me laugh, cry, and wince."
"Shelley's debut novel, Book Smarts and Tender Hearts, will plunge you right back into your high school days in the best way possible. This queer-friendly, body-positive story captures the excitement and awkwardness of being a teenager and figuring yourself out for the first time. It touches on how friendships can change as you grow into your adult self, the challenges of navigating the dynamics of new and old crushes, and discovering your voice and beliefs for the first time. I loved this book and couldn't put it down from the moment I picked it up. I completely fell in love with the characters and cried my way through the ending. Totally recommended!!!"
"Sooo good. The beautiful prose brought me back to the flannel and the feelings of being sixteen in the mid-90s. The characters just felt real."
