Today's spotlight is on Krysten Lindsay Hager, an author known
for transporting her readers to the emotional roller coaster of high school. Enjoy!
Dating the It Guy by
Krysten Lindsay Hager
YA contemporary romance
Published by Clean Reads
Blurb:
Emme is a sophomore in high school who starts dating,
Brendon Agretti, the popular senior who happens to be a senator's son and
well-known for his good looks. Emme feels out of her comfort zone in Brendon's
world and it doesn't help that his picture perfect ex, Lauren seems determined
to get back into his life along with every other girl who wants to be the
future Mrs. Agretti. Emme is already conflicted due to the fact her last
boyfriend cheated on her and her whole world is off kilter with her family
issues. Life suddenly seems easier keeping Brendon away and relying on her
crystals and horoscopes to guide her. Emme soon starts to realize she needs to
focus less on the stars and more on her senses. Can Emme get over her
insecurities and make her relationship work? Life sure is complicated when
you're dating the it guy.
Excerpt: He
put the magazine between us, and when I moved forward to see it, he put his arm
across the back of my chair. Now lots of guys did put their arms on chair
backs, even Kirk did that with Rory, and he definitely wasn’t interested in
her, but I couldn’t help but hope it meant something. I got this shivery
feeling, and he asked if I was cold. I shook my head. I always got a feeling
before something major was about to happen, and it has nothing to do with being
cold, but I didn’t know why I got the feeling. Grandma used to do the same
thing and always said, “Somebody just walked across my grave.” Somehow I didn’t
think Brendon would understand if I told him I needed to move my future burial
plot to a less high-traffic area.
“Are we still on for the art fair?” he asked.
I had only been circling it with hearts on my calendar since
he asked.
“Sure, I think I’m still free,” I said.
We finished up our work, and he walked me out to meet Kylie.
“Okay, I’ll pick you up at three tomorrow,” he said, walking
off.
“Can I ask a stupid question?” Kylie asked as soon as
Brendon was out of earshot. “What’s he like? Because he’s so well-known, and I
can’t imagine what it’d be like to grow up with your whole life under a
microscope. I mean, my mom remembers his first birthday party pictures being
shown on the news. And he’s hot, but he’s not like I-know-I’m-a-hottie hot, but
more like a confident, ‘Yes, I am hot. Any questions?’ I mean, he has to have
noticed there aren’t any guys who look like him walking around.”
“I should tell him what you said.”
“Don’t you dare,” Kylie said.
“I get what you mean—he’s grown up with everybody knowing
his dad and watching him, but he’s pretty down to earth.”
“So what’s up with you two? You guys didn’t do any work last
Saturday, and now you’re going to an art fair.”
“I dunno. He just asked me to go with him.”
“Asked you to go with him as his study buddy or asked you to
go with him because he’s desperately in love with you?” she asked.
I said we were just friends, but she wouldn’t let it go.
“Okay, duh, obviously I like him, but let’s be honest. He’s
out of my league. He’s out of most people’s league. It’s weird because normally
if I like a guy then one of two things happens—either he likes me and asks for
my number…or I find out he’s not into me and I cry in my pillow and listen to
man-hating music for at least three days,” I said. “But this time’s different
because he’s, I dunno, not just ‘some guy.’ I mean, I’m not putting up a shrine
to him in my room, and I haven’t rooted though his garbage can, but I have as
much chance of going out with him as Kirk does of getting an ‘A’ in this
class.”
“You listen to man-hating music?” she asked, and I narrowed
my eyes at her. “Whatever. Anyway, Em, he’s asked you out once already, and you
are seeing him tomorrow. Plus, he’s always staring at you.”
I said he was probably just bored in class today, but she
wouldn’t let it go.
“I’m not just talking about today. When we watched the movie
on Monday, he watched you instead, and whenever I see you guys, he acts like
there’s no one else in the room,” she said.
I couldn’t hold back the big, stupid smile spreading across
my face. “He does? For real?”
She nodded. “You know, it’s weird. Here you were all upset
you didn’t have a partner at the beginning of the semester, and then you ended
up with like, Mr. Perfection, as your partner.”
Purchase:
Follow Krysten
Bio: Besides
mining her teen years and humiliating moments for her novels, Krysten is a
also a book addict who has never met a bookstore she didn’t like. She’s worked
as a journalist and writes young adult, middle grade, new adult, and adult
fiction as well as humor essays. She is originally from Michigan and has lived
in Portugal, South Dakota, and currently resides in southwestern Ohio where you
can find her reading and writing when she’s not catching up on her favorite
shows (she's addicted to American Dad to the point where she quotes episodes on
a daily basis and also loves Girl Meets World). She's also a third generation Detroit
Lions fan.
Krysten writes about friendship, self-esteem, fitting in,
frenemies, crushes, fame, first loves, and values. She is the author of True
Colors, Best Friends...Forever?, Next Door to a Star, Landry in Like, and Competing with the Star
(The Star Series: Book 2). Her debut novel, True Colors, won the Readers
Favorite award for best preteen book. Krysten's work has been featured in USA
Today, The Flint Journal, the Grand Haven Tribune, the Beavercreek Current, the
Bellbrook Times and on Living Dayton.
Praise for Dating the It Guy:
“A sweet, endearing story—you’ll fall in love with Emme just
like I did!” --Kimber Leigh Wheaton, YA/NA author
"Hager's authentic characters will resonate with
readers of all ages as they are immersed in the story - complete with teen drama and angst, but
also the relationships which make it all worthwhile." -- Leslie L. McKee, book reviewer, Edits and
Reviews by Leslie
What people are
saying about Krysten’s work:
From Teenage Book
Recommendations in the UK: "This is a fantastically relatable and real
book which I feel captures all of the insecurities and troubles which haunt the
modern teenage girl. It is about a young model who has to go through tough
times when she is torn between a life as a model and managing her friendships.
You learn which friends she can most trust and which will create the drama
typical of teenage life. Follow the life of Landry and try to see if you can
find out which are her true friends before their true colours are revealed.
This book is all about relationships, hopes and truth. I loved this book!"
From Books &
Authors Spot: “This book is such an inspiration for those who just care about
their looks and are tensed about them. This thing is looks aren't everything.
This book is related to every teen's problem. Hager has written a very
inspiring novel.”
“Krysten captures the teenage girl today. The struggles are
real, the issues are something children have been dealing with since before I
was a teen, and oddly-Krysten captures the readers! I was prepared for another
"Mean Girls" story. This is NOT that. This is the real story of
teenage girls! You watch Landry flower into a young woman who finds out trust
is an invaluable item to find, and friendships are hard to seek genuine realism
in. You will learn about relationships with not just friends, but peers, boys,
and others. The details put into the book will draw you, and make the story so much
more realistic. Krysten expresses emotions beautifully through her writing, and
the story flows flawlessly…” By Candice
J. Conway Simpson
“True Colors, is just a dazzling story of how middle school
kids show their true colors of jealousy, drama, loss and gains of friendship.
However, the way Krysten wrote her story; she wrote it with passion, creativity
and honesty that this story line could be placed in anyone's life at any age.” Review by Double Decker Books
“Krysten Lindsay
Hager understands what it means to be a teen today, and she writes with an
authentic voice. Landry, the main character, is funny, lively, and very real.
Readers will relate to her struggles with friends and family, self-esteem and
self-discovery, boys and school and life in general. It's fun to read about
Landry's blossoming modeling career and the changes it brings.” Review by Author Diana Jenkins
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