Late to the Party
Books | Young Adult Fiction / Coming of Age
4
(924)
Kelly Quindlen
From author Kelly Quindlen comes a poignant and deeply relatable story about friendship, self-acceptance, and what it means to be a Real Teenager. Late to the Party is an ode to late bloomers and wallflowers everywhere.Seventeen is nothing like Codi Teller imagined.She’s never crashed a party, never stayed out too late. She’s never even been kissed. And it’s not just because she’s gay. It’s because she and her two best friends, Maritza and JaKory, spend more time in her basement watching Netflix than engaging with the outside world.So when Maritza and JaKory suggest crashing a party, Codi is highly skeptical. Those parties aren’t for kids like them. They’re for cool kids. Straight kids.But then Codi stumbles upon one of those cool kids, Ricky, kissing another boy in the dark, and an unexpected friendship is formed. In return for never talking about that kiss, Ricky takes Codi under his wing and draws her into a wild summer filled with late nights, new experiences, and one really cute girl named Lydia. The only problem? Codi never tells Maritza or JaKory about any of it.
Lgbtq+
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More Details:
Author
Kelly Quindlen
Pages
288
Publisher
Roaring Brook Press
Published Date
2020-04-21
ISBN
1250209145 9781250209146
Community ReviewsSee all
"I’ve never felt so connected to a book. The introvert with her quirks and attraction to the same gender gets tired of being holed away after meeting the popular jock who isn’t who everyone thinks he is. She steps out of her comfort zone and grows in the most chaotic way, finding love along the way. I admire this book and how well it’s written. It makes me feel as though I am not alone and that it is common to feel like you’re behind because you’re not as social as others but it’s also completely okay. You’re your own person. I strongly recommend this book! "
Maya Marquez
"*I got an ARC of this from Net Galley*<br/><br/>This took me a little longer to get into than I thought it would and I think it’s because I was really annoyed by the way Maritza & JaKory treated Codi at the beginning so I didn’t get super into it until Codi met Ricky and the story really took off. Overall, I loved this book and I didn’t want to put it down once I got to about chapter 6! <br/><br/>Codi was a great narrator because of how relatable she is. She was so relatable at times that I really had to think about myself. I loved getting to see Codi through all of the different friendships she had, especially with Lydia, Ricky, & her brother Grant! Everything just wrapped up so well and made me feel so hopeful! <br/><br/>Definitely 5 stars, would read again! ☺️"
Courtney Williams
"Gotta support a fellow Kelly and give this 5/5. But if I’m being technical, it’s a 4.5.<br/>I loved the book and really related to Codi and her wanting to try new things, make new friends, etc.<br/>Personally, I don’t think she should have made up with Matriza or like at least made her more like able. That rushed apology / make up scene was not it.<br/>I also appreciated that there wasn’t a coming out scene with her parents. Not everyone comes out to their family right away and this also isn’t that type of story. I already want to know what happens to Codi/Lydia when they’re both in school. The downsides to standalones.<br/>But yes, will absolutely be reading more of Kelly’s work! I still think about some scenes in “Her Name in the Sky” and with “Late to the Party”, I’m sure the same will occur."
Kelly Sarna
"This book is simple and sweet. I could really relate to the characters and struggles, and it made me excited for the future."
Ava
"absolutely floored by this book, thought about it for so long after reading "
Nora Gardner
"super cute quick read & relatable coming of age queer book that i absolutely loved i adore kelly’s writing & characters so much :))"
aud
"Read it in a day and then again the next day! "
Jessica Avigliano
"SUCH a good book. i love the lgbt rep without that being the main focus. super cute, love the fluff too <3. codi is also super relatable"
soso!
"i LOVED this book. It wasn’t really focusing on her being gay, and she was surrounded by other queer main characters. We got a great little coming of age type story, and we still got romance. "
Wren (they/she)
"I feel like it captured how hard it is to be a teenager and try to get out of your comfort zone without leaving the people you love most behind. Also the LGBTQ representation was everywhere and I love that I like many others can relate to Codi and the others because of it. I read it in a day, it is that good."
Gianna Spalazzi