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Mira is starting over at Saint Francis Prep. She promised her parents she would at least try to pretend that she could act like a functioning human this time, not a girl who can't get out of bed for days on end, who only feels awake when she's with Sebby.
Jeremy is the painfully shy art nerd at Saint Francis who's been in self-imposed isolation after an incident that ruined his last year of school. When he sees Sebby for the first time across the school lawn, it's as if he's been expecting this blond, lanky boy with mischief glinting in his eye.
Sebby, Mira's gay best friend, is a boy who seems to carry sunlight around with him. Even as life in his foster home starts to take its toll, Sebby and Mira together craft a world of magic rituals and impromptu road trips, designed to fix the broken parts of their lives.
As Jeremy finds himself drawn into Sebby and Mira's world, he begins to understand the secrets that they hide in order to protect themselves, to keep each other safe from those who don't understand their quest to live for the impossible.
"Starred Review. Themes of betrayal, forgiveness, and resilience resonate strongly, while the characters' stories are so beautifully told and their struggles so hauntingly familiar that they will stay with readers long after they have finished the book." - Publishers Weekly
"Rounded characters large and small, drawn with insight and empathy, drive the plot. Buoyant writing and wry humor balance the pathos in this powerful debut, a moving tale of friendship as refuge and shield against a hostile world." - Kirkus
"Scelsa's inarguably well-written debut tells these stories with mixed success: though she has created characters about whom readers will care very much, they seem set up to fail to infuse the narrative with pathos, which comes dangerously close, at times, to bathos. Though not for every reader, this charged story will please those who enjoy being deeply engaged emotionally." - Booklist
"So much more than a love triangle novel, Scelsa's debut is filled with teens discovering how to handle life's situations." - School Library Journal
"I wish my high school self could read this book. Fans of the Impossible Life perfectly captures the complexity of love, sexuality, and the cost of secrets. Mira, Sebby, and Jeremy will stay with you long after you finish the last page." - Julie Murphy, author of Dumplin' and Side Effects May Vary
"In this beautiful and devastating novel, Kate Scelsa introduces three of the most memorable and original characters in recent memory. Fans of the Impossible Life is a truly unconventional love story that will challenge everything you think you know about the nature of love and friendship." - Bennett Madison, author of September Girls
This information about Fans of the Impossible Life was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Kate Scelsa grew up in New Jersey, went to school at Sarah Lawrence College, and now lives in Brooklyn with her wife and two black cats. She spent most of 2004-2012 traveling the world performing in an eight hour long show called "Gatz" that uses the entire text of "The Great Gatsby." Current interests include: angsty singing ladies, interior revolutions, and exterior adornments. Also - nostalgia as an art form. And - spiritual conspiracy theories. www.katescelsa.com
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