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Lucy Keating
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Literally Kindle Edition

by Lucy Keating (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 out of 5 stars 48
See all formats and editions

From the author of Dreamology comes a young adult love story that blurs the line between reality and fiction…

Annabelle’s life has always been Perfect with a capital P. Then bestselling young adult author Lucy Keating announces that she’s writing a new novel—and Annabelle is the heroine.

It turns out that Annabelle is a character that Lucy Keating created. And Lucy has a plan for her. 

But Annabelle doesn’t want to live a life where everything she does is already plotted out. Will she find a way to write her own story—or will Lucy Keating have the last word? 

The real Lucy Keating’s delightful contemporary romance is the perfect follow-up for readers who loved her debut novel, which School Library Journal called “a sweet, quirky romance with appealing characters.”

Previous page
  1. Print length
    261 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    HarperTeen
  5. Publication date
    April 11, 2017
  6. Reading age
    13 - 17 years
  7. Grade level
    8 - 12
  8. File size
    1520 KB
  9. Page Flip
    Enabled
  10. Word Wise
    Not Enabled
  11. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  12. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up—Annabelle has the perfect life. She lives in an original Craftsman house in the affluently bohemian Los Angeles neighborhood of Venice; she hangs out with the popular crowd at school; she's valedictorian and editor in chief of the school newspaper; and she's getting ready for her life after high school. What Annabelle does not find perfect: unordered books (she frequently rearranges her bookshelf, sometimes by genre, sometimes by color) and the fiction class she must take to complete graduation requirements. But just as Annabelle tries to iron out these wrinkles, as she always does, she discovers something that makes her question everything about her life and how much control she really has. YA author Lucy Keating visits the heroine's class, and the teen learns that she is the main character of Keating's new novel! Can Annabelle trust any of her feelings when her life is being written for her? This is an intriguing and original blend of contemporary YA tropes and metafiction. Literary theory buffs will be tickled and fascinated by the way the author plays with the conventions of YA lit, from background characters complaining about their own one-dimensionality to the protagonists trying to fight the force of a love triangle. Despite the existential nature of the premise, the narrative is lighthearted in tone and the characters engaging, with sparkling dialogue. VERDICT A quirky literary experiment that fans of YA will thoroughly enjoy. A good choice for most libraries serving teens and YA fans.—Evelyn Khoo Schwartz, Georgetown Day School, Washington, DC

Review

“This festival of metafictive fun should particularly appeal to budding novelists.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Keating inserts a fictional version of herself into her entertaining second novel. Avid readers will enjoy the playful suggestion that although characters are inventions of their authors, they also take on lives of their own.” — Publishers Weekly

“This whimsical novel is a light, satisfying read, full of humor and tidbits about the writing process and publishing world that any youth interested in writing will enjoy...For readers who want to be entertained while discovering that life can only be truly lived when you take control.” — Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

“Short, sweet, and brazenly meta....cleverly and at times hilariously playing with YA romance tropes and its own self-awareness....A quirky little love story.” — ALA Booklist

“In Keating’s fun and whimsical voice, the book questions how much of our life we really want plotted out, and how much we’d like our story to be purely ours.” — Brightly

Praise for Dreamology: “This is a sweet, quirky romance with appealing characters and loving descriptions of Boston landmarks…Keating is particularly good at capturing the surreal nature of dreams. Give this one to fans of Jenny Han and YA romance.” — School Library Journal

“A fun spin on contemporary romance.” — Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

“Alice is a fun, sarcastic heroine, and readers will be more than happy to join her on her journey both in and out of dreams.” — ALA Booklist

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01IMYCVFW
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperTeen (April 11, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 11, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1520 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 261 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0062380044
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 48

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Lucy Keating

Lucy Keating

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Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Lucy lives in Somerville, Massachusetts with her husband and scruffy dog.

When she's not writing, Lucy can usually be found anxiety-baking, bingeing TV shows, or having what she feels are perfectly acceptable conversations with her dog, Ernie.

You can follow Lucy on Instagram @lucy.keating.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
48 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Kate Miller
5.0 out of 5 stars Unique concept
Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2018
Verified Purchase
I have never heard of nor read a book quite like this.
It resembles a meta narrative: a story within a story. Annabelle, a typical Type-A, organized high school student realizes that her life is being written by her, by the author of the book.
This book forced me to question the routines and habits of my life: are they really my creation, or rather a manifestation of social expectations?
I highly recommend this book for all types of readers. I could not put it down, and learned some valuable lessons while chuckling from a particularly humorous character... (Elliot!)
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Sam K
4.0 out of 5 stars A zany and quirky look at YA culture with the bonus of a cute romance and some food for thought.
Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2017
Rating: 3.5 stars

Annabelle is all about being in control. Each day is color-coded, and all decisions are made well in advance. Suddenly, her world is in upheaval following her parents' surprising disclosure, and the discovery that she is actually NOT in control. It seems that Annabelle is a character created by author Lucy Keating, who is dead set on giving Annabelle the HEA Lucy thinks she needs. However, it seems AB does not agree, and is going to put up a fight to regain control of her life.

First and foremost, I found the concept of the book clever. Yes, it's been done before, but I really enjoyed Keating's take on it. As a reviewer and someone who reads a lot of reviews, I found myself amused by all the references Keating made to book characters and story elements. The one-dimensional sidekick, the made-just-for-me heartthrob, the BIG event that creates the tension in the story, the dreaded love triangle, and more. I loved the way Keating poked fun at it all.

Aside from that, I found so many big statements being asserted underneath it all. There are moments when Keating and AB are fighting with each other over which choice would be best for Annabelle. Maybe this represents the struggles that authors sometimes experience when writing a character, and this was Keating's way of expressing the frustrations she encounters when writing. Another thing I loved, was the way she challenged the idea that we can go with the flow or dare to write our own story. There were a bunch of other rather deep musings I had while reading this, but it all came down to the line on the cover of the book for me: "a book about a book about falling in love".

There is a LOT of talk about love. From first love and familial love to love that's lost, there are thoughts hidden throughout. This idea that it's better to have loved and lost then to never have had that connection. That some love is worth fighting for, and sometimes you must acknowledge the end of a love you had. That love can sneak up on you, and it might be with someone you never expected. You know, the heart wants what the heart wants. How love is taking a chance with an uncertain future, but that it can be worth it. I am a lover of romance, so I gobbled it all up.

Overall: A zany and quirky look at YA culture with the bonus of a cute romance and some food for thought.
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Jane
5.0 out of 5 stars This book was lots of fun. I am not a young adult
Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2017
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This book was lots of fun. I am not a young adult, but I read the premise and couldn't resist. (Stranger than Fiction is one of my favorite movies.) If I had read it as a teen, I probably would have been obsessed with it. As an adult, I found it very well written and entertaining--a nostalgic trip back into the head of a high schooler. I highly recommend it as an engrossing story-within-a-story with a bit of romance.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A funny and sympathetic take on being a teenager in Southern ...
Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2017
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A funny and sympathetic take on being a teenager in Southern California. Complicated relationships and family life illuminated with empathy.
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JennRenee
3.0 out of 5 stars Review
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2017
I received this book for review a while back. It looked really cute and really interesting. I love to have a sweet cute book in between the crazy or dark or deep reads. This one was sweet and cute and short. A breather book. I did enjoy it. I would have liked a little more character complexity and but for the most part it was a good fast read.

This is a story about a character, a girl, a pretty type A personality girl. It's the story about how her perfectly organized and put together life gets interrupted, turned upside down. Her family dynamics change, she meets a boy, she find out life isn't at all what she thought. She meets an author, an author that says " oh hey by the way I am writing your story, your life, you are not in control. This girl says oh no I am in control and this character fights back. Choosing her future, her feelings, and her choices.

This book was cute. I loved the idea. It was fun to explore. What if you found out your life was being written for you. Are you just a character or are you real. Can you fight back, make your own choices. How can you gain control of your own life. Cute concept. I liked it. I also liked that it wasn't just a concept.. Its also about taking control of your life and not allowing life to make choices for you. Circumstances are just that. Choose to make what you want with it. I loved this even more. And yet beyond that.... What if you can't take control in the way you want. How do you deal. How do you accept. This was more than a story about a girl that is a character. It was fun and quirky but also had some good life lessons written between the lines.

I loved the plot and I loved the pace. It was a real quick read.... but on the downside of the quick read... I felt that it fell in the pit of undeveloped characters. They did have some substance. I did feel like I understood the main character Annabelle but even though I understood her... I didn't feel her. She wasn't complex enough to actually hone in on her emotions. I would of loved to feel sad, angry, confused, in love. I just couldn't. I definitely read this one from a distance.

There were a couple of really good secondary characters that brought some feels into the story... but even at that it was only just below the surface instead of deep down. The love story was kind of cute. The family dynamics was good but simple. The best friend was good. She seemed to really be there for Annabelle but only sometimes did she make an appearance in the book. would have loved to seen more of her.

The characters were a great start to some pretty awesome characters. Some were snarky and some were sweet. Loyal and charming. Crazy and aggravating... but all just on the surface. I needed just a bit more and think if the book would have been more drawn out not such a quick read, the complexity could have been there and the book would have been awesome.

There is the story of friendship, romance, and family. It hit all the marks and touched on some tropes found in ya books today which I thought was fun. I laughed a bit at these. Love triangle. best friend sidekick, and such like these.

It was a fresh idea for me and I did enjoy it for a quick simple read but the lack of depth did keep me from loving it.

I liked but not loved. It had potential it didn't quite reach... but still was a fun read.
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Erin L.
5.0 out of 5 stars My new beach read
Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2017
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This concept is so brilliant and smart — I couldn't put it down!
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Amizbks
2.0 out of 5 stars Interesting idea but lacked commitment
Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2018
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I liked that the writer was self aware. It was an interesting take on YA fiction but the plot and characters just fell flat to me. It was sappy and while I understand that it is a romance, it didn't gave any structure and seemed to just hurl some of it at you and leave the rest for you to figure out.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Vale
5.0 out of 5 stars Tutto ok
Reviewed in Italy on January 4, 2023
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Tempi adeguati, prodotto integro
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Mrs Miggins
4.0 out of 5 stars Try it - you might like it!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 17, 2018
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Hmmm. Depends what you like. The idea is good but teenage fiction is a tricky one. If you're not into boys, drugs, drink, being annoyed at your parents, confused about your sexuality, from a disfunctional family....it's hard to find something nice to read.
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Cliente Amazon
4.0 out of 5 stars Il fascino dell'insolito
Reviewed in Italy on May 2, 2017
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Un bel libro con una trama sorprendente.
Per essere il secondo scritto, fa supporre un'ottima carriera
Coerente con il precedente
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