Blog Archives
We Are Unleashed Into The World
Juliet was Wrong follows a high school graduate who is searching for herself before heading off to college; what she discovers could change the course of her well-planned life. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
The inspiration for this story is, quite frankly, many people’s experiences. When we graduate high school, we feel as though: this is it. Life is ready to begin. But, what about the past eighteen years? Did they not count? We are just looking for ourselves as teenagers, before we are unleashed into the world… worried about what we’ll be or where we’ll end up.
I pulled some of that from my own experiences. I think of the quote from the last chapter: how did becoming an adult happen?
And how do we make it stop? Because that’s how every single eighteen year old feels going out into the world. At thirty five, I still feel that way sometimes.
Katie goes through a challenging period of self-discovery in this novel. Was there anything from your own life that you put into the characters in your novel?
Yes, absolutely. Although, Katie is who I wish I was in high school. So put-together and so self-aware. I was not that way at all! I imagined this girl who had her life so carefully planned… and then someone comes along and pulls her out of this bubble she’s created and forces her to experience things she has never experienced before. Someone to make her second guess everything she’s ever thought. And what better than a – quite average – eighteen year old boy? All four of those main characters are based on those I knew in high school – Josh is melded with my husband a bit.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Strong female relationships were very important to me writing this book. A teenage girl who had a normal relationship with her mother in a YA book? Say what? I feel as though the YA genre fixates on abnormal family relationships. But you can just tell Katie will grow up and her mother will be her best friend.
Katie & Sam are inseparable… there is this connection between them that sits under the surface that they will be there for each other literally no matter what. That was important to me to explore as well. Soulmates can exist amongst friendships.
And of course, the overall arching theme to always choose yourself. Always believe in yourself. You are good enough. No matter how many Joshua Parkers come into your life.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
My name book is titled Same Time, Same Place and is due out April 4th, 2023! It is completely separate from Juliet was Wrong and is about a group of friends at summer camp throughout the years.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
Yet in the past two months, her mother has picked her up from a hospital, she lied about where she was and one night, she didn’t even come home.
She blames him.
It is the day after high school graduation and Katie has one thing on her mind: getting the heck out of New Jersey. That is… until she meets him. Joshua Parker steps into view under the Ferris Wheel at the boardwalk and one look at him has Katie’s brain misfiring. The summer days fall into nights with Josh. Katie is soon discovering teenage experiences she’s been missing out on with her nose stuck in a book. The more time Katie spends with Josh, the more she begins to question everything she knows about love… and who she’s meant to be.
The path of Katie’s future has been perfectly paved since she was seven. But, she soon craves a new one: one with a boy she just met but cannot live without. The soon-to-be English major is standing at a crossroads, examining everything she’s learned about her beloved Shakespearean theatre. Do you ever get a second chance at true love? The events of that summer will decide.
Juliet was Wrong
Juliet was Wrong is a young adult coming-of-age novel written by Lindsey Carver. The story revolves around a high school graduate, Katie, who is searching to find herself before college. She’s been counting the days to leave for college since she was a child, but in the last summer before college, she meets Joshua Parker and instantly finds herself falling for him. The intended English major student who had her whole future planned and the path paved realizes how much she missed in her teenage years simply because she was stuck in her books. Josh unintentionally turns Katie’s entire life upside down as the girl starts to doubt her goals and ambitions after spending an incredibly adventurous summer with him. However, in an unexpected turn of events, she is faced with the question of whether her favorite poet Shakespeare was wrong in the play Romeo and Juliet about risking everything for love.
Lindsey Carver’s debut novel is a nostalgic and emotional one. Set in the town of New Jersey, the author has written a beautiful and dreamy story about young love. This book perfectly portrays the simplicity and intensity of first love. However, the story also contains an essential lesson: just because you fall in love at a young age doesn’t mean you can’t grow and find yourself alongside it.
Carver has created unforgettable characters, especially Katie, who is strong-headed, ambitious, and isn’t afraid to stand up for herself. The ending was heartbreaking and unpredictable, yet extremely realistic. The use of Shakespeare’s references throughout the book did justice to the title. Young readers will relate to this book as the question of the future rises in their minds. Carver has beautifully shown that growing up doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to achieve your dreams; it can also mean that you need to chase new ones.
The bittersweet mix of love, family, friendship, and self-awareness made it impossible to put this book down. Juliet was Wrong is a glorious and touching read and the kind of book that I can read over and over again.
Pages: 233 | ASIN : B097SR2PXG
LITERARY TITAN 