FFBC: The Night We Said Yes by Lauren Gibaldi + Giveaway!

The Night We Said Yes
by Lauren Gibaldi
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release Date: June 16th 2015
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Music

Synopsis:

A fun, romantic read, perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen and Susane Colasanti!

Before Matt, Ella had a plan. Get over a no-good ex-boyfriend. Graduate from high school without any more distractions. Move away from Orlando, Florida, where she’s lived her entire life.

But Matt—the cute, shy, bespectacled bass player who just moved to town—was never part of that plan.

And neither was attending a party that was crashed by the cops just minutes after they arrived. Or spending an entire night saying “yes” to every crazy, fun thing they could think of.

Then Matt abruptly left town, and he broke not only Ella’s heart but those of their best friends, too. So when he shows up a year later with a plan of his own—to relive the night that brought them together—Ella isn’t sure whether Matt’s worth a second chance. Or if re-creating the past can help them create a different future.

In alternating then and now chapters, debut author Lauren Gibaldi crafts a charming, romantic story of first loves, lifelong friendships, uncovered secrets, and, ultimately, finding out how to be brave.

Hello Lauren! Welcome to the FFBC ! We are super excited to have you in our FFBC tours!

Thank you for having me! I’m so excited!

THE NIGHT WE SAID YES is about four friends who say yes to every idea they have for one night. In the process, two of them, Ella and Matt, kind of fall for one another. Fast forward to a year later, when Matt’s been gone for about six months. He and Ella meet again and try to recreate the original night that brought them together, seeing if second chances are possible. The book flips back and forth from one year ago to the present time so you can see both nights unfolding at once.

Ella and Matt have a lot in common—they’re both shy and silly and awkward and sweet. They’ve both played second place to someone in their lives (for Ella, her best friend Meg, and for Matt, his older brother Chris.) But where Ella flourishes in her friendships, Matt becomes nervous, as he’s not used to being so close to people. I don’t necessarily think they’re the perfect couple, but I think that’s what makes them work—their imperfectness.

I love the idea that one night can change everything—that in one night, we can make things happen. I think we all get excited before a night out, wondering what will happen and who we’ll see. I wanted to capture that excitement in the book. As for inspiration from other places, I try not to get inspiration from shows and stuff because I’m terrified of accidentally borrowing plots! I will say I did listen to a lot of Taylor Swift and The Ataris (my favorite band when I was in high school) between writing.

I think this quote summarizes it nicely: “It was the sense of possibility that I loved, the idea that anything could happen next.” My other favorite line is the last night, but I’m not going to quote that!

Yes! There’s a scene in the Then section (a year ago) where they’re hanging out on a roof. For some reason, it’s my favorite scene.

I keep answering this differently in each interview to keep it interesting, so here’s a new one! “Tonight the Streets Are Ours” by Richard Hawley.

Super awesome! I actually haven’t thought of this much—I will say I had a lot of fun casting my book trailer. I used high school juniors and seniors, and they did a fantastic job (you can see yourself!) I think my Ella and Matt, specifically, were perfect. So let’s just say them.

Ummm—I don’t know! I say just read and have fun!

MATT’S STORY, a Night We Said Yes Novella about the year inbetween, as told by Matt, comes out August 4th with Epic Reads Impulse! I’m really excited for everyone to see Matt’s side of the story. Then, my second novel, AUTOFOCUS, comes out summer 2016.

SO MANY! There are lots of obvious ones (Sarah Dessen! Gayle Forman! John Green!) so I’ll go with non-so-obvious from various categories. For adult fiction, J Courtney Sullivan and Carlos Ruiz Zafon; for non-fiction David Sedaris and Sarah Vowell; and from YA Jessica Martinez and Jenny Sanchez Torres.

Holding my ARC! I cried.

I can’t pick just one. Can I just say every book written by a Fearless Fifteener? Because there’s so much amazingness there.

Thank you so much for everything, Lauren!

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Public librarian and author of THE NIGHT WE SAID YES (HarperCollins / HarperTeen, June 16, 2015) and MATT'S STORY (a The Night We Said Yes Novella, out August 2015). Fan of dinosaurs and cheesy jokes. And you.