Today, I’m introducing a book all about friendships that change and boys: FIRST THERE WAS FOREVER by Juliana Romano! Read on for to see my interview with Juliana Romano!
First There Was Forever
Author: Juliana Romano
Series: None
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Release Date: April 14, 2015
Publisher: Dial
Summary:
Lima and Hailey have always been best friends: Lima shy and sensitive, Hailey funny and free-spirited. But Hailey abandons Lima to party with the popular kids and pursue Nate, her disinterested crush. As their friendship falters, Lima and Nate begin spending more time together. And before Lima knows what she’s feeling, she and Nate do something irreversible. Something that would hurt Hailey…if she knew it happened.
Lima thinks she’s saving her friendship by lying, but she’s only buying time. As the secrets stack up, Lima is forced to make a choice: between her best friend forever, and the boy who wasn’t meant to be hers.
Interview with Juliana Romano
1. Hi Juliana! Can you tell us something we don’t know about you, something we won’t discover from a simple Google search?
I am an absolute, die-hard musical theater fan! I’ve seen Wicked twice, and I know all the words to Westside Story and Into the Woods, to name a few.
2. The development between Lima and Hailey’s friendship throughout First There Was Forever feels so real and raw like you’ve personally experienced it – have you personally went through something like that?
I had a best friend in high school who I grew apart from, and it was heart-breaking. But we never fought over a boy, like Lima and Hailey, do. And actually, I kind of think Lima and Hailey’s aren’t really fighting over Nate, they’re just struggling with how it feels to grow apart. That said, I have been in the situation where a friend and I both liked the same guy, and it was painful.
3. Meredith is a really interesting and unique character I don’t see much in YA. Where did inspiration for her character come from?
If there is one character in the book who is based on specific girls I knew growing up in LA, it’s Meredith! She’s a conglomeration of all the coolest girls with the wildest families who I always wanted to be friends with. She has this tragic and romantic edge that draws you in, but like a lot of the real people Ive known like that, she can be destructive.
4. Even though First There Was Forever is a contemporary book, have you done any kind of research while writing it?
I had to research all the chemistry stuff! Lima’s interest in science forced me to read a lot of Honors Chemistry curricula online.
5. What’s up next for you?
I’m working on my second book! It’s set in a different city and about different girls, but it is also a story about friendship, and family, and the way that love changes us.
I am a bit on fence about this one. I don’t like bffs having a fall out over a boy…but i will give this one a try :)