From Carolrhoda Lab/Lerner Books
The Coldest Winter I Ever Spent
LERNER PUBLISHING GROUP ‣ BOOKSHOP ‣ INDIEBOUND ‣ AMAZON ‣ B&N ‣ BAM!
Finalist for the California Book Award for Young Adult Fiction
Finalist for the Northern California Book Award for Young Adult Fiction
Eighteen-year-old Del is in a healthier place than she was a year and a half ago: She’s sober, getting treatment for her depression and anxiety, and volunteering at a suicide-prevention hotline. Her own suicide attempt is in the past, and living in San Francisco with her beloved aunt has helped her see a future for herself.
But when Aunt Fran is diagnosed with terminal cancer, Del’s equilibrium is shattered. She’s dedicated herself to saving every life she can, but she can’t save Fran. All she can do is help care for her aunt and try to prepare herself for the inevitable―while also dealing with a crush, her looming first semester at college, and her shifts at the crisis line.
After Aunt Fran asks for her help with a mind-boggling final request, Del must confront her own demons and rethink everything she thought she knew about life and death.
Praise for The Coldest Winter I Ever Spent
“Jacobus has done a beautiful job with many difficult subjects, striking just the right tone and treating her highly sympathetic characters with dignity and compassion.”
—Booklist
“Teens interested in mental and physical health will closely follow Del’s interactions with her family, fellow AA attendees, Nick, the crisis line callers, and Fran’s hospice coordinator, who helps Del understand the place of death within human existence. San Francisco forms a strong backdrop to this thought-provoking novel. Honestly and courageously explores sensitive topics.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“With intensely emotional and honest prose, Jacobus (Romancing the Dark in the City of Light) conveys Del’s inner turmoil and longing for relief … supportive health coordinators and mentors help Del confront her fears and find a new appreciation for life in this hopeful read.”
—Publishers Weekly
"A story that never shies away from the difficult, The Coldest Winter I Ever Spent is both challenging and compassionate."
—Kelly Loy Gilbert, author of Conviction and Picture Us in the Light
"Del faces hard choices every day. Passionate, thoughtful, painfully impulsive, she's easy to root for―even when she makes mistakes. Skillfully rendered, this novel raises difficult questions about life and death. Instead of finding simple answers on the page, readers receive something better: honesty, hope and reassurance."
—Sarah Tomp, author of The Easy Part of Impossible and My Best Everything
"Achingly beautiful, emotionally complex and thought-provoking. A deeply felt and ultimately hopeful novel."
—Catherine Linka, author of A Girl Called Fearless