Love and Leftovers [Hardcover]

Sarah Tregay (Author)

Book Description

Release date: December 27, 2011

My Wish 

is to fall 

cranium over Converse 

in dizzy daydream-worthy love.
(If only it were that easy.)

Marcie has been dragged away from home for the summer--from Idaho to a family summerhouse in New Hampshire. She's left behind her friends, a group of freaks and geeks called the Leftovers, including her emo-rocker boyfriend, and her father.
By the time Labor Day rolls around, Marcie suspects this "summer vacation" has become permanent. She has to start at a new school, and there she leaves behind her Leftover status when a cute boy brings her breakfast and a new romance heats up. But understanding love, especially when you've watched your parents' affections end, is elusive. What does it feel like, really? Can you even know it until you've lost it?
Love & Leftovers is a beautifully written story of one girl's journey navigating family, friends, and love, and a compelling and sexy read that teens will gobble up whole.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This debut novel in verse effectively captures the angsty life of 16-year-old Marcie Foster. After her father leaves her mother for a 27-year-old man, Marcie and her depressed mom move from Idaho to a family summer home in New Hampshire. Here Marcie falls for J. D., a boy who is an irresistible cross between Prince Harry (his hair) and David Beckham (his abs). Only problem: Linus, her emo-rocker boyfriend 2,000 miles away. Seven months later, Marcie moves back to Idaho with her father, confesses to Linus, and has to deal with the fallout. Marcie funnels her pain into writing poetry— “there is no three strikes / when it comes to dating. / One heartbreak and that’s it.”—and her poems, which vary in form, are what compose this verse novel. While the subjects cover typical teenage problems, including breakups, friendships, and parental issues, Tregay adds depth with her ability, in just a few words, to palpably express both the emotions of love and the physical longings that go along with it. This first novel may make teenage readers’ hearts beat a bit faster. Grades 8-12. --Ann Kelley

Review

Starred Review, School Library Journal:
"The author does a terrific job of keeping the plot moving by using poetry to her advantage. Reluctant readers will appreciate the brevity while poetic souls will appreciate the format."
-Kimberly Castle-Alberts, Stark County District Library, Canton, OH

Publisher's Weekly:
"Poems, IM conversations, and emo love songs make up Tregay's emotionally turbulent debut novel in verse...With multiple shredded relationships and friendships, there's more than enough angst to go around, as Marcie rages against the decisions her parents have made, as well as her own."

Kirkus Reviews:
"A verse novel with real depth to accompany all that white space."

VOYA
"Although the words are simple, the themes of Love and Leftovers are not." 
 --Ed Goldberg.

Booklist:
"This first novel may make teenage readers' hearts beat a bit faster."
-- Ann Kelley

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (December 27, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062023586
• ISBN-13: 978-0062023582
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 5.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #191,918 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Raised without television, I started writing my own middle grade novels after I had read all of the ones in the library. I later discovered YA books, but never did make it to the adult section. When I'm not jotting down poems at stoplights, I can be found hanging out with my "little sister" from Big Brothers Big Sisters or stressing over performance classes at a model horse show.

I have both a Bachelors and Masters of Fine Art in graphic design, and my obsession with typography and layout naturally translates into formatting poetry on the page.

I live in Eagle, Idaho with my husband, two Boston Terriers, and an appaloosa named Mr. Pots.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous, Brilliant, Could Not Put It Down! December 29, 2011

By Andrea Thompson

Format:Hardcover

Oh, wow. Talk about a sleeper! Love and Leftovers took me by complete surprise. Being that it was written in verse, I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. I guess I thought the verses would be little separate stories that didn't necessarily tell a linear story, but it so does. Love and Leftovers was a complete, beautiful, full story told in these small, heartbreaking segments that completely drew me in.

The entire story is told from Marcie's point of view. The book is actually her poetry journal. A journal that chronicles Marcie's struggles with the split of her parents, her cross-country move that separates her from her boyfriend and friends, making friends in her new home, a new relationship, and all the way back around in a complete circle. It documents her confusion with her parents, her mother's debilitating depression, her need to be wanted by a boy... just on and on.

Love and Leftovers would be a fabulous read for teens, especially reluctant readers. The tiny segments keep the pages turning, trying to learn what Marcie will address next. Teen sexuality, the confusion and the importance of timing, is a big theme to the story. This book is the perfect book for teens, but really, I think it's perfect for anyone. I read this book in under two hours; I literally could not put it down. All around, I couldn't recommend Love and Leftovers more highly.

Favorite Quote:

(Choosing one quote was nearly impossible.)

"I let my dream eyes
connect the dots between the freckles
that spill over his shoulders
as if he stood in pink lemonade rain."

* I received an ARC from Harper Teen, in exchange for an honest review. *

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A perfect read! April 14, 2012

By Uniquely Moi Books

Format:Hardcover

I loved the style of Love and Leftovers. I can also definitely say that Marcie reminded me of myself in many ways when I was younger. She is a girl struggling with her parents issues, and trying to fit in somewhere in the meantime. I felt as if she lost herself somewhere along the way through her parents divorce, having to take care of her depressed mother, instead of living her normal childhood that she so deserved. Being taken away from her school and her home, forced to live in a town and meet new people while struggling to saty in contact with her best friends back home. I can't say that I don't blame her for trying to find love and friendship from someone else. Marcie is lonely. She isn't living her life. Only following a routine created by her parents decisions which effect her tremendously and shouldn't. She has been burdened by this, but in the end, comes out on top. Through it all, she does an amazing job at finding herself, and what she wants out of life.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Loved it. July 8, 2012

By jennifer

Format:Hardcover

The synopsis of this story grabbed me when I first read about it. I am not used to reading in verse, so I was not sure what I would think. I absolutely adored this book.

The story is about a girl and two boys to choose from. The boy that has been in her life for a while, who feels right, the one she left behind and the boy who she meets, she knows is wrong, the one she can't help but be drawn to. This is a story about a girl who feels she lost her dad when he left them for a man and who lost her mother to depression when he dad left them. This is a story about a girl who makes all the wrong decisions but ends up right in the end.

The main character of this story, Marcie, was a little hard for me to get close too at the beginning. I felt she was a bit of whiner, but the more the story went on, the more I felt for her. I think this has a lot to do with the writing style of verse. It took a while to really see what she was feeling. Somewhere along the line, I started to fall for her and her messed up life. In the end she is just plain loveable. I really felt for Marcie throughout the book, some for the issues she couldn't fix, like her mother's depression and some for the issues she causes, like kissing a boy that was not her boyfriend.

The story was cute. Girl has boy, girl leaves (not of her choice) boy, girl misses boy, girl meets another boy, girl likes new boy, girl loses new boy (not by her choice again, girl gets first boy back, girl loses first boy again (this time by her own actions) will girl end up with either boy? Add in girl has depressed mom and feels obligated to take care of her, girl is mad at dad for leaving their family, girl realizes she cannot control either.

The book is about Marcie, and her problems, her choices, her consequences, and finally her acceptances. She is on a journey to understand the heart. I really enjoyed this book and found it hard to put it down. Because of the verse style writing, it was a very fast read and I closed the book in the end with tears in my eyes and very wide smile.