Spotlight & Giveaway: Last Kiss of Summer by Jessica M. Felleman

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Jessica M. Felleman to HJ!

Hi Jessica and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Last Kiss of Summer!

Hi readers!
 

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

LAST KISS OF SUMMER is a heartbreaking young adult love story set on Cape Cod about best friends Sera and Luke, who literally share pieces of the same heart. Two summers ago, their friendship almost turned into something more before overnight, everything changed. Sera’s health took a turn for the worse. A family secret sent Luke spiraling. And they weren’t there for each other when it mattered the most. Now 18 and finally better and back on the Cape, Sera is trying to move on, but Luke is still the person who knows her best and that’s easier said than done. When Sera gets some bad news, they both finally come clean, and Luke promises Sera the best summer ever, no matter what happens. A second-chance, friends to lovers beach read meant to pull at your heartstrings, LAST KISS OF SUMMER captures those big feelings of first love and those magical teenage summers where it feels like the world is at your fingertips.
 

Please share your favorite line(s) or quote from this book:

“Summers down on the Cape have always felt like a break from reality, and this one has the same taste of suspended time, but maybe that’s not fair. Luke lives here all the time. This is his life. I’m just a visitor. In more ways than one.”

“I weave myself into these imagined moments and hope he’ll always feel me with him when his heart races with joy. The pieces of me stitched into him, holding him here in the universe for as long as it takes to live a good, long life. “

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• The fictional town of Northport is a sort of Frankenstein’s monster of all my favorite towns on Cape Cod, but especially Edgartown on Martha’s Vineyard, where I still spend some time every summer with my best friend, and where I had originally set the book before the logistics of Sera’s health condition pushed me off the island.
• I went to the Isabelle Stewart Gardner museum while writing LAST KISS OF SUMMER and loved it so much that I had to write it into the book. It fit perfectly with Luke and Sera’s interest and talent for art. I felt them in every corner of that place!
• I 100% used ‘book research’ as an excuse to get many ice creams all across Cape Cod; some favorite places are Shipwreck (the crazy staff-made sundae options), The Ice Cream Smuggler (the Salty Oreo!), Mad Martha’s (the Mint Oreo!), and Polar Cave (the homemade waffle cones).

What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?

Luke and Sera have grown up together but Luke is the one who falls first. Not only is he struck sideways by the realization that Sera is PRETTY but all the things he knows about her; like her optimism and her sense of adventure and how she talks about what she loves now make him want to kiss her! It freaks him out at first because he can’t tell if she’s feeling the same way too. And it does take Sera a little longer, but that same summer, instead of her always being aware of where Luke is because he’s her best friend and she looks to him to share whatever’s on her mind, she’s aware of him in a physical way and can’t stop wanting to be close to him and right at the center of his steady serious attention.
 

Did any scene have you blushing, crying or laughing while writing it? And Why?

Yes! Oh my goodness the tears I cried over this book. I think the first scene that really got me is an early quiet moment between Sera and her mom. In the scene, even though Sera’s health is okay and they’re talking about her plans for the future, there’s still the lingering worry that it won’t last but they’re also both really happy to be right there together then no matter what.

“I slide onto the love seat next to Mom. “What are you reading?” I ask. She pulls me into her like I’m still five and tells me about her book— something historical about siblings getting through a war.
“It sounds sad,” I say, reaching for her wineglass and taking a small sip after she nods permission at me. The liquid is cold and sharp, and tastes like lemon juice mixed with grapes. “Bleh,” I groan, handing it back to her.
She chuckles. “It grows on you,” she says, taking a big sip and putting the glass back on a coaster I made at camp when I was eight. “You’ll have to learn if you’re going to Paris. And the book is sad, but it’s nice to feel sad sometimes.”
“Did your therapist tell you to tell me that?”
“No,” she says, threading her fingers through my hair, “just an observation.”
She doesn’t really need to say more. We both know what she’s thinking.
I snuggle in a little more and let her baby me for a few minutes. She smells like clean laundry and hand lotion. The steady scratch of her nails against my scalp makes me sleepy.”

Readers should read this book….

For the sweet and joyful feel of a long lazy summer, and that FINALLY feeling of being loved for yourself, AND for a good sad time sure to squeeze out some much needed tears.
 

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have in the works?

I’m working on the edits for my next young adult book! It’s the story of an unlikely friendship (becoming something more!) between the valedictorian & homecoming queen and the boy always in detention for skipping class – and the day he convinces her to skip school with him. It should be announced soon and out in about a year!
 
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: One finished copy of LAST KISS OF SUMMER by Jessica M. Felleman, US only.

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Raffle form and Leave a comment with your thoughts on the book…

Book Info:

When Sera Watkins and her family arrive at their summer house on Cape Cod, she has one goal in mind: protect her heart from the boy who broke it, her next-door neighbor, Luke Tisdale. The problem is, Luke still has a piece of her heart—literally. When Sera received a new heart as a baby, the healthy valves of her old heart were given to Luke. Forever bonded, Luke and Sera grew up together spending sun-soaked days swimming at their secret beach and painting at art camp.

Then, two summers ago, their friendship almost turned into something more. Key word: almost. Because one fateful night, everything changed. Sera’s health took a turn for the worse. A family secret sent Luke spiraling. And they weren’t there for each other when it mattered the most.

Now Sera is ready for a fresh start, which means no more pining over the boy next door. But Luke has grown up a lot since she last saw him, and the chemistry she felt two summers ago? It’s still there. Sera isn’t sure she’s brave enough to risk it all again, but when she gets some difficult news, she realizes there’s no time to waste. Maybe it’s finally Luke and Sera’s moment, their chance to enjoy the sweet kiss of summer together—before it’s too late.
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Meet the Author:

Jessica M. Felleman is a writer and literary agent from Massachusetts. She received her BA in English from Syracuse University and her MFA in Writing from CalArts. She lives on Cape Cod with her cranky tabby cat and can often be found at the beach looking for rocks.
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