Today, the newly crowned New York Times bestselling author Nic Stone drops by with a guest post about the book that most impacted her life for our stop on the official blog tour for her book, Dear Martin. Be sure to keep reading to learn more about this book, and enter for your chance to win a copy.
I was sixteen the first time I read The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides. No idea how long the book had been lined up on my dresser or how it got there in the first place, but the movie had been out for over a year (I hadn’t seen it). The novel had been out for almost a decade.
I also have no idea what made me pluck it from the midst of all the other TBR books on my dresser. Maybe it was the mystery of how it’d gotten there (I still don’t know—Mama denies any involvement). Or maybe it was the title. Or maybe it was the knowledge of the movie’s existence.
What I do know is that I ran a finger over the spine (it was this movie tie-in edition), sat on my bed, and opened it to check out the first few pages…
And I couldn’t put it down. The—admittedly dark, and maybe a little depressing—story of five sisters who all take their own lives over the course of a year got its hooks in me because… well because I understood those girls. Or maybe I should say they understood me. We got each other, those Lisbon sisters and I.
It was the first time since childhood that I’d read a book and actually connected with the characters. Even though they were white girls living in a very white world, the Lisbon sisters (Lux especially) felt things that I was feeling. Watching their lives—and more so deaths—unfold in those pages reignited a love for reading that had been snuffed out the moment my 9th grade English teacher told us we had to read The Odyssey. It was the first true Young Adult novel I’d ever read (though I doubt the author would categorize it that way).
To this day, it’s still my favorite book.
Justyce McAllister is top of his class, captain of the debate team, and set for the Ivy League next year—but none of that matters to the police officer who just put him in handcuffs. He is eventually released without charges (or an apology), but the incident has Justyce spooked. Despite leaving his rough neighborhood, he can’t seem to escape the scorn of his former peers or the attitude of his prep school classmates. The only exception: Sarah Jane, Justyce’s gorgeous—and white—debate partner he wishes he didn’t have a thing for.
Struggling to cope with it all, Justyce starts a journal to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. But do Dr. King’s teachings hold up in the modern world? Justyce isn’t so sure.
Then comes the day Justyce goes driving with his best friend, Manny, windows rolled down, music turned up. Way up. Much to the fury of the white off-duty cop beside them. Words fly. Shots are fired. And Justyce and Manny get caught in the crosshairs. In the media fallout, it’s Justyce who is under attack. The truth of what happened that night—some would kill to know. Justyce is dying to forget.
In stores now: Amazon | Audible | B&N | iBooks | TBD | Goodreads
Nic Stone was born and raised in a suburb of Atlanta, GA, and the only thing she loves more than an adventure is a good story about one. After graduating from Spelman College, she worked extensively in teen mentoring and lived in Israel for a few years before returning to the US to write full-time. Growing up with a wide range of cultures, religions, and backgrounds, Stone strives to bring these diverse voices and stories to her work.
You can find her goofing off and/or fangirling over her husband and sons on most social media platforms as @getnicced.
Website | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Goodreads
3 winners will receive a finished copy of DEAR MARTIN, U.S. Only.
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Week One:
- 10/16/2017- LILbooKlovers– Interview
- 10/17/2017- YA Bibliophile– Review
- 10/18/2017- Mama Reads Blog– Guest Post
- 10/19/2017- Here’s to Happy Endings– Review
- 10/20/2017- Eli to the nth– Excerpt
Week Two:
- 10/23/2017- Chasing Faerytales– Review
- 10/24/2017- Omg Books and More Books– Interview
- 10/25/2017- BookHounds YA– Review
- 10/26/2017- Novel Novice– Guest Post
- 10/27/2017- The Bookish Libra– Review
Week Three:
- 10/30/2017- Never Too Many To Read– Review
- 10/31/2017- Mrs. Knott’s Book Nook– Interview
- 11/1/2017- Reese’s Reviews– Excerpt
- 11/2/2017- Novel Ink– Review
- 11/3/2017- Wandering Bark Books– Guest Post
Week Four:
- 11/6/2017- Amanda Gernentz Hanson– Review
- 11/7/2017- Lisa Loves Literature– Excerpt
- 11/8/2017- Feed Your Fiction Addiction– Review
- 11/9/2017- Lost in Ever After– Interview
- 11/10/2017- A Backwards Story– Review
Novel Novice 
Dear Martin has been on my tbr since I first heard of it and read the synopsis. Books like this are needed to bring about change in the world. The more we read about and think about topics like this, the more we can work toward change and an end to these horrible things that shouldn’t be happening yet sadly are. I loved reading this post. I haven’t read The Virgin Suicides but I’d like to, especially now that I know the impact it’s made on an author whose work I’m eager to read. I follow Nic Stone on Twitter and Instagram and love her personality so I know her writing style has to be just as amazing and can’t wait to read Dear Martin! Congrats to her in becoming a NYT bestselling author! ?
I am so intrigued that Nic Stone’s favorite book is The Virgin Suicides! I haven’t read the book, but I saw the movie and loved it. I’m already excited to read Dear Martin, but I will have to add The Virgin Suicides to my TBR list as well!