Everything New Again - by Renée Watson (Hardcover)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

#1 New York Times bestselling and Newbery Medal winning Renée Watson crafts a tender, romantic YA novel about beginnings and endings and new beginnings again.

Bliss knows there's more to life than what she's experienced in her small town. She's ready to be the girl who isn't just waiting anymore, who can make something happen. Working in her family's funeral home, she can't help but ponder what it means to truly live and what it takes to leave a lasting legacy. Her existential questions have labeled her the weird "funeral home girl" to most of her peers, except for her best friend, Alex, and the new boy visiting from Portland for winter break.

Solomon isn't put off by Bliss's musings. He has questions of his own, like why his mother abandoned him and if she ever did--or ever will--love him. He has come to visit for answers, and to work at his mom's flower shop, where he meets Bliss on a delivery to the funeral home.

Their chance meeting changes everything. As they open up to each other, share their hearts and experience something real, something new, they find that even if a relationship has an end, love can last forever.

Powerful, moving, and inspiring, Everything New Again is a story of first love perfect for fans of Jandy Nelson and Nicola Yoon, about falling in love and finding who you are--all at the same time.

Review Quotes

"Gorgeous and deeply thoughtful meditation on love and what it means to truly live with your heart wide open. I loved it." --Nicola Yoon, #1 New York Times bestselling author of EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING, THE SUN IS ALSO A STAR, and INSTRUCTIONS FOR DANCING

"Bliss and Solomon's story is a gentle, poetic, and poignant love letter to young love, Black love, familial love, love of place, and love of life itself. Nobody writes like Renée Watson." --Randy Ribay, award-winning author of EVERYTHING WE NEVER HAD and PATRON SAINTS OF NOTHING

"A poignant novel exploring love, friendship, and loss through the lives of two teens whose growing bond guides them toward their futures. . . . A powerful coming-of-age story rooted in nature, history, and self-discovery." --School Library Journal, starred review

"This poignant novel of young love by Newbery Medalist Watson. . . will grab readers by the heart and not let go. Watson's masterful storytelling. . . is compelling and deeply satisfying. An intensely emotional and beautifully written narrative." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Newbery Medalist Watson documents swoon-worthy first love in this aching romance. . . . Lyrical prose and skillfully rendered, emotionally raw characterization combine to present a touching and intense exploration of the connective power of loss." --Publishers Weekly, starred review

"[A] tender romance. . . . Thought-provoking and sensitively portrayed." --The Horn Book, starred review

"Young love blossoms in [this] sweet, aching romance novel." --Foreword Reviews, starred review

"Romance springs to life under Newbery Medal-winning Watson's pen, examining race, life, and death with equal measure." --Booklist

"Deftly crafted, big-hearted, beautiful, funny, honest, and inspiring." --Nicola Yoon, awardwinning and #1 New York Times bestselling author of EVERYTHING, EVERYTHING and THE SUN IS ALSO A STAR, on LOVE IS A REVOLUTION

"A powerful look at a young Black girl's journey to self--acceptance in all facets of her life, and a beautiful example of how communities become family." --Brandy Colbert, award-winning author of THE VOTING BOOTH, on LOVE IS A REVOLUTION

"A delightful, joyous coming-of-age tale that features dynamic characters and a sweet romance, and it doesn't shy away from weighty social and political topics, all the while spinning the magic of Black Girl Joy." --Booklist, starred review on LOVE IS A REVOLUTION

"Teen and tween readers questioning their own identities and places in the world should connect with Watson's meaningful social and environmental themes. . . . [A] warm and hopeful story." --Shelf Awareness, starred review on LOVE IS A REVOLUTION

"Watson's deft ability to write characters that are relatable yet flawed offers readers a nuanced, non-saccharine love story." --Horn Book Magazine, starred review on LOVE IS A REVOLUTION

"This title sends the necessary message that sometimes it's okay if the person you save is yourself." --School Library Journal, starred review on LOVE IS A REVOLUTION

"A highly needed work for the #MeToo movement. . . . Watson and Hagan do not disappoint in this powerful story of two girls who take a stand against injustice while learning how to navigate a world that seeks to silence them." --SLJ, starred review, on WATCH US RISE

"A manifesto for budding feminists . . . An inspiring look at two strong-willed teens growing into even stronger young women ready to use their voices and take on the world." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review, on WATCH US RISE

About the Author

Renée Watson is a #1 New York Times bestselling author. Her novel All the Blues in the Sky won the Newbery Medal, and Piecing Me Together received a Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Award. Her books include the Ryan Hart series, Some Places More Than Others, This Side of Home, What Momma Left Me, Betty Before X, cowritten with Ilyasah Shabazz, Watch Us Rise, cowritten with Ellen Hagan, and Love Is a Revolution, as well as acclaimed picture books: Summer Is Here, Maya's Song, The 1619 Project: Born on the Water, written with Nikole Hannah-Jones, A Place Where Hurricanes Happen, and Harlem's Little Blackbird, which was nominated for an NAACP Image Award. Renée splits her time between Portland, Oregon and New York City.

www.reneewatson.net
@reneewauthor