• US Edition

Paper Valentine

Dark and strange, surprising yet always beautiful, a stunning new novel from NYT-bestselling Brenna Yovanoff, author of THE REPLACEMENT and THE SPACE BETWEEN.

The city of Ludlow is gripped by the hottest July on record. The asphalt is melting, the birds are dying, petty crime is on the rise, and someone in Hannah Wagnor’s peaceful suburban community is killing girls.
For Hannah, the summer is a complicated one. Her best friend Lillian died six months ago, and Hannah just wants her life to go back to normal. But how can things be normal when Lillian’s ghost is haunting her bedroom, pushing her to investigate the mysterious string of murders? Hannah’s just trying to understand why her friend self-destructed, and where she fits now that Lillian isn’t there to save her a place among the social elite. And she must stop thinking about Finny Boone, the big, enigmatic delinquent whose main hobbies seem to include petty larceny and surprising acts of kindness.

With the entire city in a panic, Hannah soon finds herself drawn into a world of ghost girls and horrifying secrets. She realizes that only by confronting the Valentine Killer will she be able move on with her life—and it’s up to her to put together the pieces before he strikes again.

Rights details

US/Canada: Razorbill (Penguin) - January 2013

UK/Commonwealth: Simon & Schuster - January 2013

Co-agent for film/TV rights: Jerry Kalajian of IPG

Good news

Bank Street’s Best Children’s Books of the Year – 2014

The Children’s Book Committee considers literary quality and excellence of presentation as well as the potential emotional impact of the books on young readers for their annual list.
http://bankstreet.edu/center-childrens-literature/childrens-book-committee/best-books-year/best-books-year-2014/

YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults 2014

The YALSA BFYA list appeal to readers 12-18 and are deemed to “meet the criteria of both good quality literature and appealing reading for teens.”
http://www.ala.org/yalsa/2014-best-fiction-young-adults

NPR’s Guide to 2013’s Great Reads for Teens

Standout titles selected by NPR staff and criticshttp://apps.npr.org/best-books-2013/#/tag/young-adult

YALSA Best Fiction for YA 2013

Nominated for YALSA’s Best of 2013 listing. http://www.ala.org/yalsa/bfya/2013list

Starred Review from BCCB

The Bulletin for the Center for Children’s Books says about PAPER VALENTINE: “The slow-burn mystery and simmering romance will keep readers turning the pages, but it’s the painfully authentic depiction of the complexities of friendship that will leave them haunted.”

Starred review in Publishers Weekly

‘A painful but satisfying story that shows off the author’s gifts for writing dark contemporary fantasy.’