A heartfelt, witty, and thought-provoking YA love story about two teens who fall for each other while forced apart during quarantine, written by two New York Times bestselling authors, and for fans of Five Feet Apart, Anna and the French Kiss, and My Life Next DoorMaxine and Jonah meet in the canned goods aisle just as California is going into lockdown. Max’s part-time job as a personal grocery shopper is about to transform into a hellish gauntlet. Jonah’s preexisting anxiety is about to become an epic daily struggle. As Max and Jonah get to know each other through FaceTime dates, socially distanced playground hangs, and the escalating heartbreaks of the pandemic, they’re pushed apart by what they don’t share and pulled closer by what they do.
As thoughtful, probing, and informed as it is buoyant, romantic, and funny,
Hello (From Here) cuts across differences in class, privilege, and mental health, all thrown into stark relief by the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s a novel that looks at the first two months of the quarantine, and adds falling in love to the mess.
"Hello (From Here) isn't just a book about the pandemic." —PopSugar
"It's also a funny, poignant romcom about the unpredictability of love in chaotic times. . . . Excellent." —
BCCB* "Satisfyingly banter-filled." —PW, starred review
“Sweet . . . Effectively rendered.” —
Kirkus"Realistic." —
SLJ"Not your typical romantic comedy, [it's] a timely update of the genre." —
Booklist"Witty, entertaining . . . endearing and relatable.” —Common Sense Media
"An unputdownable story that YA readers will adore.” —Brightly
“Funny, romantic, and eerily familiar.” —author Kelly Loy Gilbert
“Witty, hilarious, heart-filled, and romantic.” —author Jeff Zentner
"In a category of its own. . . . Wonderful.” —Postmedia
Chandler Baker is the author of five young adult novels, including
This is Not the End. Her adult debut,
Whisper Network, was a
New York Times bestseller and Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick, and her follow-up,
The Husbands, is slated for summer '21. Chandler lives in Austin, Texas with her husband and two young children. She can usually be found listening to audiobooks at two times the normal speed, overspending at bookstores, or obsessing over true crime.
Wesley King is the #1
New York Times bestselling author of eleven novels, including the Wizenard series with Kobe Bryant, the Edgar Award-winning and Bank Street Best Book of the Year
OCDaniel, and the Junior Library Guild selections
The Vindico and
The Feros. He lives in Nova Scotia, as well as on a 1967 boat that he's sailing around the world.
"Much more than just a pandemic story, it's also a funny, poignant romcom about the unpredictability of love in chaotic times. The romantic leads are enjoyably complex, with authentic, relatable strengths and weaknesses, and their different backgrounds offer a window into how class impacts one’s ability to cope. . . . Ultimately hopeful while acknowledging the unknowability of the future, it’s an excellent option for romcom readers who want a realistic romantic romp for our times." —
BCCB
“Loss, love, and unusual circumstances combine into an unputdownable story that YA readers will adore.” —Brightly
★ "A satisfyingly banter-filled rom-com told in alternating voices . . . Max and Jonah’s struggles with romance, their families, and their individually complicated circumstances make for a timely story that offers a creative take on how hope and romance can persist in difficult times." —
Publisher's Weekly, starred review
"
Hello (From Here) isn't just a book about the pandemic. [It's] a sweet love story between two teens [whose] relationship blossoms even as mental health issues, the toll of the pandemic, and social distancing threatens to keep them apart." —PopSugar
"Engaging . . . Unusually strong . . . Not your typical romantic comedy, Baker and King’s collaborative novel offers a timely update of the genre." —
Booklist“A realistic teen romance that touches on important issues.” —
SLJ
“Sweet . . . Effectively rendered.” —
Kirkus
“Highlights [much more than] the uncertainty of living through the pandemic . . . Witty, entertaining . . . endearing and relatable.” —Common Sense Media
“Alternately funny, romantic, and eerily familiar,
Hello (From Here) is a story about how life goes on when the world stops around you.” —Kelly Loy Gilbert,award–winning author of
Picture Us in the Light“Years from now, when asked what lifeduring COVID was like, I’ll recommend
Hello (From Here), because of what a witty, hilarious, heart-filled, and romantic reminder it is that love and light can emerge from the most trying times.” —Jeff Zentner, Morris Award–winning author of
The Serpent King
“Written with a light touch and deft humour, [the] entire book is in a category of its own. . . . COVID is just one of several issues the book’s characters grapple with. . . . A wonderful, cohesive story of two unlikely characters coming together at a time when people are mostly staying apart.” —Postmedia
