Guest Post with Christina June - No Place Like Here

Photo Credit: Hannah Bjorndal

Christina June writes young adult contemporary fiction when she’s not writing college recommendation letters during her day job as a school counselor. She loves the little moments in life that help someone discover who they’re meant to become – whether it’s her students or her characters.

Christina is a voracious reader, loves to travel, eats too many cupcakes, and hopes to one day be bicoastal – the east coast of the US and the east coast of Scotland. She lives just outside Washington DC with her husband and daughter.

Her debut novel, IT STARTED WITH GOODBYE, will be published by Blink/HarperCollins on May 9, 2017.

        

No Place Like Here 
By Christina June 
Young Adult Contemporary 
Paperback, Audiobook & ebook, 288 Pages 
May 21st 2019 by Blink 

Praise for IT STARTED WITH GOODBYE

"You won't be able to put this book down. This heartfelt read totally sucked me in. A (Prince) Charming read." ―Miranda Kenneally, author of Catching Jordan

"Tatum's complex and realistic relationships with her friends, family and the potential love interest will have you savoring every chapter while heavily anticipating the next. It Started With Goodbye is an adorable and clever contemporary that will enthrall you with its fairytale-esque charm." ―Ami Allen-Vath, author of Liars and Losers Like Us

"I loved this fun, contemporary take on the Cinderella tale that explores what it takes to be yourself while finding your place in life, love,and your family. June's characters are vividly drawn, complex people that you'll want to root for, and Tatum's story will strike a chord for anyone who's felt like they were misunderstood." ―Lisa Maxwell, author of Unhooked, Sweet Unrest and Gathering Deep

"A sweet and satisfying portrait of family, friendship, and discovering your own path. Tatum's journey from fear and disappointment to honesty and freedom to be herself is one that will resonate with many readers." ―Ashley Herring Blake, author of Suffer Love

"A fresh, charming debut, brimming with friendship, family, and love." ―Marci Lyn Curtis, author of The One Thing

“Honest, fun, and entirely compelling, this is a story about how being in the wrong place at the wrong time can lead to a whole lot of right. Tatum is a character you’ll relate to, cheer for, and want to befriend.” ―Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, author of Firsts

RANDOM FACTS ABOUT NO PLACE LIKE HERE

• 1. When I was in 5th grade, my whole class went to a team-building camp overnight. Sweetwater Overlook in the book was inspired by that trip.
• 2. Ashyn collects quotes and so do I. I've had a quote journal since I was 14.
• 3. In my research, I learned that the worst trait a manager of a retreat center can have is carelessness. So, the character Deb was built around that idea.
• 4. When I saw the cover for the first time, after I flailed at how pretty it is, I said, "but there's no bridge in the book!" So I wrote one in!
• 5. The character Baxter Clark is named for my mom and MIL--his names are family names that appear in their lines.
• 6. The zipline scene (no spoilers!) actually happened to me a few summers ago. It was equal parts hilarious and humiliating.
• 7. The Island Bookstore Ashlyn visits is named after where my husband grew up.
• 8. The first and last lines have been the same since the first draft.
• 9. NO PLACE LIKE HERE was written during NaNoWriMo 2017.
• 10. NO PLACE LIKE HERE takes place during the same summer as my second book, EVERYWHERE YOU WANT TO BE. A prequel chapter about Ashlyn and her BFF Tatum is HERE.

From Christina June, author of It Started with Goodbye and Everywhere You Want to Be, comes No Place Like Here, a modern twist on Hansel and Gretel. 

Ashlyn Zanotti has big plans for the summer. She's just spent a year at boarding school and can't wait to get home. But when Ashlyn's father is arrested for tax evasion and her mother enters a rehab facility for "exhaustion," a.k.a. depression, her life is turned upside down. 

The cherry on top? Ashlyn's father sends her to work with a cousin she doesn't even know at a rustic team-building retreat center in the middle of nowhere. A self-proclaimed "indoor girl," not even Ash's habit of leaving breadcrumb quotes--inspirational sayings she scribbles everywhere--can help her cope. 

With a dangerously careless camp manager doling out grunt work, an overbearing father trying to control her even from prison, and more than a little boy drama to struggle with, the summer is full of challenges. And Ashlyn must make the toughest decision of her life: keep quiet and follow her dad's marching orders, or find the courage to finally stand up to her father to have any hope of finding her way back home. 

Fans looking for stories with elements of drama, romance, friendship, and an unflinching look into navigating and improving even the most difficult parent-teen relationships need look no further.

You can purchase No Place Like Here at the following Retailers:

        

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