Welcome to our stop on The Impossible Vastness of Us tour for Samantha Young. This tour is hosted by InkSlingerPR.
Author: Samantha Young
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Released: June 27, 2017
Review Source: Harlequin Teen
I know how to watch my back. I’m the only one that ever has.
India Maxwell hasn’t just moved across the country—she’s plummeted to the bottom rung of the social ladder. It’s taken years to cover the mess of her home life with a veneer of popularity. Now she’s living in one of Boston’s wealthiest neighborhoods with her mom’s fiancé and his daughter, Eloise. Thanks to her soon-to-be stepsister’s clique of friends, including Eloise’s gorgeous, arrogant boyfriend Finn, India feels like the one thing she hoped never to be seen as again: trash.
But India’s not alone in struggling to control the secrets of her past. Eloise and Finn, the school’s golden couple, aren’t all they seem to be. In fact, everyone’s life is infinitely more complex than it first appears. And as India grows closer to Finn and befriends Eloise, threatening the facades that hold them together, what’s left are truths that are brutal, beautiful, and big enough to change them forever…
The Impossible Vastness of Us was an incredible story. I tend to prefer New Adult books but this Young Adult book is so much more than I expected. I knew before opening the cover that it was going to be amazing because, HELLO, SAMANTHA YOUNG wrong it!!!! I didn't have any idea it was going to blow me away the way it did though.
I have to say that I love the names of the characters in this book. I was captivated by this beautiful story the second I went in. India gets uprooted from her life in California to go all the way to Boston where she moves in with her mom's new fiance. She went from being popular and comfortable to a wealthy private school. What a culture shock!!!
On top of that crazy move and life change, there are so many mysteries and secrets that you have to try and guess at throughout the book. While I guessed some, others I had no idea about. This was a book that kept me on my toes the entire time. I loved the heroine! She is so caring, smart, and fierce. She reminds me of my BFF in a lot of ways so I loved her completely! And then there's Finn. Samantha Young is the absolute best at writing males. Finn is so mysterious and handsome that you're so drawn to him.
All in all, I'm rating this story with 4.5 stars because it has been one of my favorite reads for 2017 so far and I absolutely loved it. I am never disappointed by a Samantha Young, which is why she remains in my favorite, automatic one click author list. GO READ THIS BOOK!
Amazon US Hardcover: http://amzn.to/2f0RQGuAmazon US eBook: http://amzn.to/2kj5JD1Barnes and Noble: http://bit.ly/2s6JJNriBooks US: http://apple.co/2kbLRC9Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2q7Bd2SKobo UK: http://bit.ly/2qKZDOCGooglePlay: http://bit.ly/2qtHGR8iBooks UK: http://apple.co/2qFNlV0Kobo US: http://bit.ly/2rnAuey
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Samantha Young is the New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of adult contemporary romances, including the On Dublin Street series and Hero, as well as the New Adult duology Into the Deep and Out of the Shallows. Every Little Thing, the second book in her new Hart’s Boardwalk series, will be published by Berkley in March 2017. Before turning to contemporary fiction, she wrote several young adult paranormal and fantasy series, including the amazon bestselling Tale of Lunarmorte trilogy. Samantha’s debut YA contemporary novel The Impossible Vastness of Us will be published by Harlequin TEEN in ebook & hardback June 2017
Samantha has been nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award 2012 for Best Author and Best Romance for On Dublin Street, Best Romance 2014 for Before Jamaica Lane, and Best Romance 2015 for Hero. On Dublin Street, a #1 bestseller in Germany, was the Bronze Award Winner in the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2013, Before Jamaica Lane the Gold Medal Winner for the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2014 and Echoes of Scotland Street the Bronze Medal Winner for the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2015.Samantha is currently published in 30 countries and is a #1 international bestselling author.
Feature Tour ScheduleJuly 2nd-Nose Stuck in a Book-Character Interview with India
July 3rd-Once Upon a Twilight-Author Interview
July 4th-Good Choice Reading-Excerpt
July 5th-Natasha is a Book Junkie-Excerpt
July 6th-Readers Live a 1000 Lives-Character Interview with Eloise
July 7th-Mundie Moms-Character Interview with Finn
July 8th-Vilma's Book Blog-Author Interview
AUTHOR INTERVIEW
1.
What/who made you want to start writing?
C.S. Lewis. I
was about seven years old and my mum gave me a tattered copy of The Lion, The
Witch, and The Wardrobe. I was so blown away by that story as a kid, and when I
discovered my own wardrobe did NOT lead to Narnia, I thought the only way to
recapture the magic was to start writing my own stories.
2.
What is your favorite genre to write? What
is your favorite genre to read?
Difficult
question. I love contemporary and paranormal for different reasons. With
paranormal I love the freedom of the world-building. My imagination is entirely let loose. Plus, I
was a history student so I like using my research skills for my paranormal
stories because I like fusing my imagination with real history. However, with
contemporary I get to focus on one of my favorite aspects of writing –
character development. Contemporary fiction is ALL about the characters and I
love the challenge of taking a character through a journey in which they change
and grow throughout the story. Moreover, I love writing romance for that exact
reason because it’s about developing two characters so that they come to fit
each other in a way no other two could (making their romance epic!). So no, I
can’t choose LOL.
As for my favorite
genre to read… hmm… it depends on my mood. It really does. I love fantasy,
dystopian, sci-fi, paranormal, contemporary romance, historical romance,
steampunk. My favorite reading levels are YA, NA and adult.
3.
What was the writing process like for "The Impossible
Vastness of Us" compared to other books you've written?
Although my
writing process was the same in that I plotted and planned it the way I would
any book, it was different in that the process was much longer. This book
required patience and time because it does deal with sensitive issues. I had a
number of beta readers who read the novel at different stages in the process.
It was extremely important to me that I told India, Eloise and Finn’s story in
realistic but sensitive way.
4.
Which character did you relate the most to from
"TIVOU"?
My upbringing
was completely different to my three main characters’ upbringing, however,
there were elements to each of their stories that I could relate to. Mostly,
I’d say I could relate to India. Although our experiences were different I did
have to grow up faster than most of my peers, and was more serious and mature
than my friends as a teen. Part of it was losing someone when I was very young,
and part of it was just personality. My mum tells me I was born forty, ha! So I
had a bit of an armor on when I was teenager, much like India. I was also
considered the ‘mama bear’ of our group of friends because I could get pretty
protective when someone tried to hurt one of them.
Even if we didn’t share the same experiences,
I completely understand India. I have a lot of affection for her.
5.
Where did you draw inspiration for this novel?
Really from
coming-of-age stories I’ve enjoyed over the years, and mostly the experience of
coming of age myself as a teen. I really feel like that’s the time when kids
start to grow up and learn that there are people outside their own little
bubble with problems and experiences, too. We tend to just see what is right in
front of us when we’re young, without looking below the surface. That ability,
that perceptiveness is something we develop, especially in our later teens. The
first time I met someone who understood my own life experiences I was a
teenager. That friendship was like a weight lifting off my shoulders. It’s an
amazing feeling to bond with someone in such a way that you don’t feel so alone
anymore. I wanted that feeling to drive the narrative of this book.
6.
Is it difficult switching from New Adult to
Young adult?
It’s challenging
because there are restrictions in what language you can use. As an author I’m
always aware of how my characters are portrayed, but with YA I was particularly
concerned about why and what they represented. I deal with sensitive issues in
TIVOU and I was very much aware of handling the issues sensitively too.
Moreover, the voice has to be slightly different. My narrator has to sound like
a teen but a teen my older readers would want to read about too. Getting that
right balance of mature teen was difficult at first, but once I found India’s
voice it was easy to hold on to it.
7.
How do you select the names of your characters?
I get to know my
characters first and then I look through baby-name websites and try to find a
name that I like that fits them. India’s name actually came to me while I was
developing her – no baby-name website needed. Moreover, I think with Finn I’d
just really been waiting to use that name for a hero. Eloise was definitely a
baby-name website. I was looking for something that sounded refined, traditional,
but soft, too.
8.
What is your all-time favorite female and male
character you've ever written?
Ahhh, that’s so
difficult. It’s like choosing a favorite child, no? Ha! My favorites are always
the ones I’m currently writing. India, Eloise and Finn are definitely
favorites. They are such a journey as characters. Readers will begin their
story thinking they’ve got them all totally worked out – maybe even not liking
them very much either – but as the story goes on the unravel as characters. I
hope readers end up falling for them all as much as I have.
9.
Out of all of the books you have written, which
one would you most like to see made into a movie?
It would be
great to see any of my books made into a movie but TIVOU feels the most
relevant and I’d love to see it on the big screen. If not TIVOU then Smokeless
Fire (Fire Spirits #1). There is so much world-building and fun characters in
that series. It would probably work really well as a TV series. Ah, maybe one
day!
10.
You've written many different types of books, do
you have any genres you'd like to get into, that you haven't yet?
Yes, I have an
idea for an historical epic based on real history but it would take months,
perhaps years, of research so I’ll leave that one to when I’m much older and
have slowed down my schedule a little :p
Is there one subject/genre you would never write about as an
author?
Horror. I don’t
read it. And I’d just freak myself out too much.
11.
What is your all-time favorite book?
I have many but
one of them is The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness.
12.
Your last 5 star read?
Firelight
(Darkest London #1) by Kristen Callihan.
13.
If you could do anything besides write, what would
you do?
I’d be an events
planner for Historic Scotland. That would involve planning weddings,
ceremonies, etc to take place at different Scottish Castles and other historic
buildings under Historic Scotland’s ownership.
14.
What's next for you? Next project/
signing?
I’m working on a
number of projects at the moment. Another YA with Harlequin TEEN. A few
projects with Berkley romance for my adult contemporary. Moreover I’ll be
self-publishing the first in an adult contemporary romance set in Scotland this
year. Lots on the go!
--- and just for fun
---
15.
If you had a superpower, what would it be?
Mind reader. I’m
nosy. Plus, I like to think I’m pretty perceptive so it would be funny to find
out if I’m actually really not :p
16.
Number one pet peeve, doesn’t have to be book
world related?
Drivers who drive
aggressively close to my car. It is SO annoying.
17.
Favorite song at the moment?
Eyes Closed by Halsey.
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