Kissing Frogs
Release Date: 11/18/14
Swoon Romance
Summary from Goodreads:
Popular party girl and high school senior Jessica Scott has a secret: she used to be a nerd — a big one; a goody two-shoes, grade-skipping, all-state spelling bee champ. But she lost the braces, put on some contacts, and applied all her academic genius to studying and imitating the social elite. Now she rules the school from the upper echelon of the high school realm. With her cool new friends and hottest-guy-in-school boyfriend, life’s a beach — and that’s where she’s headed for Spring Break. That is, until her teacher breaks the bad news that she’s failing Biology — and her only chance to make up the grade is to throw away the culminating trip of her hard-earned popularity and join the Conservation Club in Panama to save the Golden Frog.
Unable to let go of her faded college dreams, Jess finds herself in a foreign country with a new social crew, and one handsome face that stands out as a blast from the past, threatening to ruin her queen bee reputation. Travis Henley may have grown up, but he still likes to play childish games and as payment for retrieving Jess’ lost ring from the bottom of a jungle pool, he wants three dates. While Jess does battle with spiders, snakes, wildfires and smart mean girls, she desperately tries to hang on to the last vestiges of her popular existence like the Golden Frog from its webbed toe. But as she starts to care about something more than tanning and texting – a species on the verge of disappearing forever – she may realize the worth of her inner nerd, and the one frog in particular that could be her prince in disguise.
Set in the lush and tropical El Valle de Anton, this modern fairytale re-imagining of “The Frog Prince” is toe-curling contemporary romance with an environmentalist heartbeat, in the tradition of Stephanie Perkins.
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Excerpt
I
flop down on my bed, gripped by a sudden fierce home sickness, wishing I had my
phone. I have no idea what’s happening with Miles. Alyssa, Ky, and the rest of
the crew are probably lounging by a pool having a grand ol’ time, not even
missing me one bit. And I’m trapped in a foreign country with people who can
barely tolerate me. Not to mention my former nemesis.
Twisting
the ring around my finger, a picture of my old self pops up, entering a
classroom, late and puffing, red-cheeked and frizzy-haired. The door slams
behind me and everyone looks up. In the frantic run to find my class my shirt
has come untucked. I look down and see a white splotch of toothpaste on my red
pants. So not the impression I want to make on my first day of middle school.
I
look around for a seat, feeling awkward and like a total loser. My gaze lands
on a familiar face: Travis Henley. He’d been a year ahead of me in elementary.
He gives a cool nod of acknowledgement. Probably still sore I’d kicked his butt
in the school’s Spelling Sensations contest. I’d won with “inoculate.” He’d
spelled it with two n’s. The lingering smugness fades as I realize the
seat next to him is the only one empty. Everyone’s staring. I scurry over, arms
crossed tightly over my books.
“Anyone
sitting here?” I whisper.
“Well,
well, look who’s too smart for sixth grade.” He looks me up and down, taking in
my disheveled appearance. “Have a seat, Messy Jessie,” he drawls.
And
the name stuck. He’d teased me mercilessly right up until graduation, when he’d
stuck some toilet paper on the back of my gown as I walked up to receive my
award of academic achievement.
Fortunately,
we’d gone to different high schools—though apparently not anymore—and I spent
that summer before freshman year reinventing myself. Luckily I was a quick
study, and during that first year learned to hide the fact that I had a brain.
It seemed to make people feel more comfortable. Sophomore year was marginally
better, and by junior year “Messy Jessie” was long gone. I applied my book
smarts to carefully analyze the formulas for popularity and through strategic
learning and hard work, clawed my way up out of Geeksville and into the realm
of the Socially Acceptable. Thanks to my mom’s Pilates connections and a bit of
luck, I’d managed to befriend the popular crowd, miraculously landing in the
stratosphere of the high school hierarchy.
And
now it all could be ruined because of some stupid frogs. And Travis, if he
decides to spill the beans about my former self. I’m sure Chrissy and Kiki
would love to share the news with the rest of Cassels. Nothing like outing the
phony.
About the Author
Alisha Sevigny holds a degree in Sociology and Professional Writing from the University of Victoria, is a film school graduate, former literary agent and current Social Media and Communications Director for an award-winning English school. A shameless romantic, Alisha and her husband have travelled the world together. On a recent trip to Panama with their new daughter, Alisha fell in love with the country, culture, and their national emblem, the Golden Frog. She was inspired to write her first Young Adult novel, Kissing Frogs. Born and raised in Kitimat, British Columbia, Alisha has always had a strong connection to the environment and conservationist spirit. She now lives in Toronto with her family.
Alisha Sevigny holds a degree in Sociology and Professional Writing from the University of Victoria, is a film school graduate, former literary agent and current Social Media and Communications Director for an award-winning English school. A shameless romantic, Alisha and her husband have travelled the world together. On a recent trip to Panama with their new daughter, Alisha fell in love with the country, culture, and their national emblem, the Golden Frog. She was inspired to write her first Young Adult novel, Kissing Frogs. Born and raised in Kitimat, British Columbia, Alisha has always had a strong connection to the environment and conservationist spirit. She now lives in Toronto with her family.
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