Double Negative by Susan Marshall
Join us in celebrating the release of Double Negative – a young adult contemporary romance novel by Susan Marshall, courtesy of Evernight Teen! Plus, enter the giveaway for the chance to win a gift card!
Title: Double Negative
Author: Susan Marshall
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Young adult
Release Date: November 12, 2021
Published by: Evernight Teen
About The Book:
Injured competitive swimmer Reece never wanted to be Vice Prez of West Hill High. It was her brother Jamie’s idea, just something to do until she could get back into the pool.
She knew that Jamie—who led his campaign with a striptease “election speech”—would be a complete “President Dumbass.” But Reece didn’t foresee that she’d fall hard for Jamie’s Student Council rival, Zain.
Zain is hot and intense, plus an amputee and a basketball star. Between Zain’s disability and Reece’s surgery, they have their challenges, but that deepens their connection—until he drops a bombshell about his accident. Suddenly, everything important to Reece starts to implode.
Struggling with issues of family loyalty, secrets, and scars, Reece must decide if real relationships are worth the heartache.
Excerpt:
“It’s a good thing you called,” Zain said, his eyes narrowing. “Your brother needs to be kept in check.”
“What’s with you two, anyway?” I asked, returning his look.
“He’s lived this charmed life. I’ve busted my butt to get good grades, on a winning basketball team, Athletic Council Prez. He takes off his clothes, says ‘Free ice cream,’ wins Prez, throws out the rulebook. He’s not accountable, not for anything he does. And he’ll get into a good school. I know your dad’s some hotshot lawyer with big connections. He’ll pave his way. How is that fair?”
“Nothing’s fair. You work hard, then your shoulder gives out, but you come back even better.” And as soon as the words were out of my mouth, I wished I could take them back.
“Really? Not everyone comes back better. Not when someone runs over you with their car and smashes your leg so bad, they have to take half of it off. And you fight just to walk. And then more and more to get back on the court. In the end, I can only go so far. I’m hoping that I might be good enough for college, but adjusting to the prosthesis has taken a toll on my game. Once high school is over, so might basketball.”
“Shit, I’m sorry. When did this happen?”
“Two and a half years ago.” I sighed. “I don’t want sympathy,” he added, looking straight ahead.
“You’re the team captain, right?”
“Captain doesn’t mean you’re the best player. I’m pretty good, I used to be scholarship good, but I’m not so sure anymore.”
I pulled up in front of Zain’s house, a small, tidy-looking red brick bungalow with white trim and a carport. The only difference between his house and the ones on either side was the color of the door. Helped by a large, hanging white porch light, I could tell it was a deep navy blue.
I still hadn’t thanked him for bailing me out. I was grateful that he’d come, stopped the brawl, got everyone out, and helped with the mess. The situation had been tense. Someone could have gotten majorly hurt, not just bloody-nose hurt. We would have been in deep shit.
“I appreciate that you guys came.”
“I’m glad we got there when we did. It could have gone south. Fast.”
“It almost did. You’re not going to rat us out to DiFran, right?”
“I still have to think, but let me say I like having something on Jamie. I’d lose that edge if I blabbed.” I nodded.
Zain opened the passenger door and did his hop-strut thing out of Jenny. He shut the door, leaning into the window. “Come as your favorite sexual fantasy? That’s some theme for a freshman mixer.”
“Superheroes,” I said loudly, blinking. “Remember the shirt? I was Elastigirl? The capes? Superhero, not sexual fantasy.”
NetGalley Reviews for Double Negative (Nov. ‘21)
Reviewer Whitney:
Susan’s writing is wonderful. I truly enjoyed reading this book. Her character development was on point; giving you characters you either loved, hated, or just wished would shut up. She reminds you about how it felt as a teen to go through heartbreak. Overall, this was a great read.
Reviewer Maria:
“I had always loved strong, healthy bodies. But now I understood vulnerability. I respected tenacity. I knew that strength was not always physical.” (Quote from ARC)
“Double Negative”, by Susan Marshall (Evernight Teen), is a very entertaining story with teen people who are realistic, relatable characters, showing a mix of innocence, maturity and smartness that can be irresistible. The love story is very sweet and I really liked how it was developed.
I found the heroine very well written. I loved her passion for swimming and competing, how it is so ingrained in who she is and what she does. Her honesty is compelling, too.
Zain, the young hero, is very attractive: a bit tortured, living and adapting to a new reality in a very pragmatic way. “Hot and intense”, as Reece says…
I thought all characters were interesting and well developed; even the annoying ones. The interactions and dialogue are vivid and seemed appropriate for the characters’ ages. I particularly liked Reece and Jamie’s relationship.
About The Author:
A lover of libraries, Susan obtained a Masters Degree in Library Science but found that she was too disorganized for that field. Instead, Susan worked at The Globe and Mail newspaper and then Seneca College. Four kids later, she decided to stay-at-home, spending her quiet moments indulging her love of writing.
The old adage is to “write what you know.” In Double Negative, Susan channels her experience as a parent of a teen amputee and her misguided belief that she was once an athlete. The inspiration for NemeSIS was the complicated sister dynamic in Susan’s estrogen fuelled household in Hamilton, Ontario. An avid reader, she loves e-books and falls asleep nightly to the soft glow, oblivious to what happened on the last page.
Susan lives in Toronto with her husband, three sons, a daughter, rescue dog Bean and Indy the cat.
Connect With Susan: Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
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