Books with author Joanne Smith

For fans of John Green and Emily X.R. Pan, The Half-Orphan's Handbook by Joan F. Smith is a coming-of-age story and an empathetic, authentic exploration of grief with a sharp sense of humor and a big heart.It’s been three months since Lila lost her father to suicide. Since then, she’s learned to protect herself from pain by following two unbreakable rules: 1. The only people who can truly hurt you are the ones you love. Therefore, love no one. 2. Stay away from liars. Liars are the worst.But when Lila’s mother sends her to a summer-long grief camp, it’s suddenly harder for Lila to follow these rules. Potential new friends and an unexpected crush threaten to drag her back into life for the first time since her dad’s death.On top of everything, there’s more about what happened that Lila doesn’t know, and facing the truth about her family will be the hardest part of learning how a broken heart can love again.An Imprint Book

The year is 1985 – but it may as well be 1935. In some parts of the South, interracial dating is still an unspoken taboo, as black women are generally considered a forbidden fruit for white men. Especially for prestigious, young, Southern, white heirs like Jason Chandler. Enter Britney Robinson with beautiful, big, brown eyes and cocoa skin, changing everything for Jason. As Jason and Britney’s puppy love blossoms into a fairytale of its own, the history between their families also unfolds. Decades of secrets and lies begin to unravel in both the Chandler and Robinson household, changing everyone’s sense of reality and truth forever.

For fans of John Green and Emily X.R. Pan, The Half-Orphan's Handbook by Joan F. Smith is a coming-of-age story and an empathetic, authentic exploration of grief with a sharp sense of humor and a big heart.It’s been three months since Lila lost her father to suicide. Since then, she’s learned to protect herself from pain by following two unbreakable rules: 1. The only people who can truly hurt you are the ones you love. Therefore, love no one. 2. Stay away from liars. Liars are the worst.But when Lila’s mother sends her to a summer-long grief camp, it’s suddenly harder for Lila to follow these rules. Potential new friends and an unexpected crush threaten to drag her back into life for the first time since her dad’s death.On top of everything, there’s more about what happened that Lila doesn’t know, and facing the truth about her family will be the hardest part of learning how a broken heart can love again.An Imprint Book

The year is 1985 – but it may as well be 1935. In some parts of the South, interracial dating is still an unspoken taboo, as black women are generally considered a forbidden fruit for white men. Especially for prestigious, young, Southern, white heirs like Jason Chandler. Enter Britney Robinson with beautiful, big, brown eyes and cocoa skin, changing everything for Jason. As Jason and Britney’s puppy love blossoms into a fairytale of its own, the history between their families also unfolds. Decades of secrets and lies begin to unravel in both the Chandler and Robinson household, changing everyone’s sense of reality and truth forever.