March 05

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Cover Reveal – Crashing in Love by Jennifer Richard Jacobson

Posted by on March 5, 2021 in Author Posts, Book News | 2 Comments

A note from Jennifer Richard Jacobson

 

As a twelve-year-old, Peyton writes her “must-have checklist” for prospective boyfriends. Silly, right?

 

Hmm. Perhaps not. As a young girl, creating such a list would never have occurred to me. I was nothing if not accommodating. I was quick to recognize the needs of others and bend myself into a form that would meet those needs. I was willing to be whomever they needed me to be. I constantly asked myself, Am I attractive to this person? and never, Is this person really the one for me?

 

Fast-forward to the time in my life when I was between marriages. Perhaps I was writing my online dating profile, or perhaps I was simply putting my desires out to the Universe. But I found myself, a mature woman, creating my own list of essential traits (and they were just as shallow as Peyton’s). Sure, I can laugh about it now, but I still see significant value in the exercise.

 

Peyton creates her list to protect herself: if she’s careful in her selection of a boyfriend, she’ll be able to avoid the mistakes her parents and her sister made. An impossible task for sure. Nevertheless, by making the list and referring to it from time to time, she comes to know herself—and therein lies the gold. Only then can she realize that attraction is complex and the sum of a person is far more than the items on a checklist.

 

 

When Peyton comes across the victim of a hit-and-run, she knows it’s destiny. But what exactly does fate have in store for her and the boy in the coma?

 

Crashing in Love

Jennifer Richard Jacobson

 

Since her parents divorced, twelve-year-old Peyton has decided that to achieve happier outcomes in her life, she’s got to focus on eliminating her flaws—and on making sure her first boyfriend is truly right for her. Guided by her collection of inspirational quotes and her growing list of ideal boyfriend traits, Peyton is convinced that this summer will be the perfect summer, complete with the perfect boyfriend! But when she discovers a boy lying unconscious in the middle of the road, the victim of a hit-and-run, her perfect summer takes a dramatic detour. Determined to find the driver responsible, Peyton divides her time between searching her small town for clues and visiting the comatose (and cute!) boy in the hospital. When he wakes up, will he prove to be her destiny? Or does life have a few more surprises in store? With abundant warmth and gentle humor, Jennifer Richard Jacobson offers a novel about searching for perfect answers—and finding that reality is both messier and far more intriguing than anything you can dream up.

 

Jennifer Richard Jacobson is the author of the middle-grade novels Small as an Elephant, Paper Things, and The Dollar Kids, which is illustrated by Ryan Andrews. She is also the author of the Andy Shane chapter book series, illustrated by Abby Carter. Jennifer Richard Jacobson lives in Maine.