Lara Avery

Perfect for fans of Nicholas Sparks, this breathtaking story of love and loss is guaranteed to break your heart and sweep you off your feet. When high school senior Kelsey's identical twin sister, Michelle, dies in a car crash, Kelsey is left without her other half. The only person who doesn't know about the tragedy is Michelle's boyfriend, Peter, recently deployed to Afghanistan. But when Kelsey finally connects with Peter online, she can't bear to tell him the truth. Active duty has taken its toll, and Peter, thinking that Kelsey is Michelle, says that seeing her is the one thing keeping him alive. Caught up in the moment, Kelsey has no choice: She lets Peter believe that she is her sister. As Kelsey keeps up the act, she crosses the line from pretend to real. Soon, Kelsey can't deny that she's falling, hard, for the one boy she shouldn't want.

An inspiring, bittersweet love story about making every day count. Bryce remembers it like it was yesterday. The scent of chlorine. The blinding crack and flash of pain. Blood in the water. When she wakes up in the hospital, all Bryce can think of is her disastrous Olympic diving trial. But everything is different now. Bryce still feels seventeen, so how can her little sister be seventeen, too? Life went on without her while Bryce lay in a coma for five years. Her best friend and boyfriend have just graduated from college. Her parents barely speak. And everything she once dreamed of doing—winning a gold medal, traveling the world, falling in love—seems beyond her reach. But Bryce has changed too, in seemingly impossible ways. She knows things she shouldn’t. Things that happened while she was asleep. Things that haven’t even happened yet. During one luminous summer, as she comes to understand that her dreams have changed forever, Bryce learns to see life for what it truly is: extraordinary.

They tell me that my memory will never be the same, that I'll start forgetting things. At first just a little, and then a lot. So I'm writing to remember. Sammie was always a girl with a plan: graduate at the top of her class and get out of her small town as soon as humanly possible. Nothing will stand in her way--not even a rare genetic disorder the doctors say will slowly start to steal her memories and then her health. What she needs is a new plan. So the Memory Book is born: Sammie's notes to her future self, a document of moments great and small. It's where she'll record every perfect detail of her first date with longtime crush, Stuart--a brilliant young writer who is home for the summer. And where she'll admit how much she's missed her childhood best friend, Cooper, and even take some of the blame for the fight that ended their friendship. Through a mix of heartfelt journal entries, mementos, and guest posts from friends and family, readers will fall in love with Sammie, a brave and remarkable girl who learns to live and love life fully, even though it's not the life she planned.

In this dazzling debut, Lara Avery crafts a story about one woman's uplifting journey of possibility, second chances, and falling in love again…with life — perfect for fans of P.S. I Love You . "In The Year of Second Chances , a young widow reenters the world after a substantial loss, taking us on a lively, witty ride along with a strong cast of supporting characters. Avery tackles the topic of grief in a way that manages to feel lighthearted and profound at the same time. I flew through this book and loved every page." — Meg Mitchell Moore, bestselling author of Summer Stage Robin Lindstrom spent her first year as a young widow cocooned in the safe haven of the Minnesota farmhouse she’d once shared with Gabe, the love of her life—the man she thought she’d be with ’til the end. But her world is turned upside down when she receives an email informing her that her late husband has enrolled in something called “Fluttr”—a dating service?  "The app subscription lasts 12 months; use it!," Gabe’s message-from-the-grave reads . "I don’t like the thought of you being alone. If you won’t do it for yourself, do it as a favor to me . Please." After twelve months of pulling herself together, Robin’s fragile equilibrium is knocked sideways. How could Gabe , of all people, be asking her to venture out into the murky waters of 21st century online dating? As her underemployed brother, Theo, points out, it’s “only” a year, and it’s what Gabe wanted; he set this all up to go into effect a year after his death, which means it was basically his last request. And so Robin tentatively takes steps to put herself out into the world once more, even if it means awkward outings at bowling alleys, club-hopping with DJs she meets online, and stammering conversations at dinner. Along the way, she’s surprised to find herself meeting new people, trying new things…and even getting to know a new version of herself. Because everyone deserves a second chance at love—and loving life.

Ze zeggen dat ik alles zal vergeten. Dus schrijf ik om te herinneren… De ambitieuze Sammie McCoy weet precies wat ze wil: met de hoogste cijfers haar eindexamen halen en dan het kleine plaatsje waar ze woont voorgoed de rug toekeren. Niets zal haar van haar plannen afbrengen. Dus ook niet de diagnose dat ze een zeldzame ziekte heeft die haar herinneringen van haar zal stelen. En zo wordt het geheugenboek geboren. Sammie schrijft aan haar toekomstige zelf: over waar ze haar studieboeken opbergt, op wie ze verliefd is, wie haar hart heeft gebroken en over Cooper, een oude vriend van vroeger die er alles aan doet haar aan het lachen te maken, en haar tot het einde toe te steunen...

Sammie siempre ha tenido un plan: sacar las mejores notas, estudiar Derecho, y ser abogada para defender los Derechos Humanos en Nueva York. Cree que nada se interpondrá en su camino, hasta que descubre que sufre una extraña enfermedad genética que, según los médicos, le robará los recuerdos y la salud. Lo que Sam necesita es un nuevo plan. Decidida a vivir una vida que no puede esperar, se lanza a vivir un verano de primeras experiencias: Su primera fiesta. Su primera muestra de rebeldía. Su primera amistad verdadera. Su último amor. ¿A quién no podrás olvidar nunca?