Hello (From Here)
Maxine 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.
Praise for Hello
"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 that happens to unfold during these strange times we live in. . . . Their relationship blossoms even as mental health issues, the toll of the pandemic, and social distancing threatens to keep them apart."
—PopSugar
“A realistic teen romance that touches on important issues.”
—SLJ
“Sweet . . . Effectively rendered . . . A quiet exploration of two teens going through some heady times.”
—Kirkus
“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