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7 swoon-worthy romances in fiction

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The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr

A brand new thriller from bestselling author of The One Memory of Flora Banks

This Summer's Secrets

A bold new story for fans of We Were Liars, intertwining past and present, love and loss, from the bestselling author of The One Memory of Flora Banks. 
 
'A sun-splashed Cornish thriller with a dark heart, ideal for YA fans of E Lockhart' Guardian 
 
ONE HOT SUMMER, FIRST LOVE AND SO MANY BURIED SECRETS . . . 
 
Senara has never been in love before. She's not done anything exciting before. Always the sidekick . . . Until the summer that changes everything. 
 
Cliff House is closed off for most of the year until its rich Londoner owners come down to Cornwall for the summer. This year, despite herself, Senara finds herself pulled into this world of wealth and ease, sunbathing and beautiful people. She even finds herself falling in love for the first time. 
 
But Cliff House and its owners are hiding things. They've been hiding things for too long and now, despite all their efforts, their secrets are coming out . . . Secrets that involve Senara's friends and her family in a way she could never have imagined. 
 
'An intoxicating mix of mystery, suspense and first love' The Daily Mirror 
'A perfect holiday page-turner' The Sunday Express 
'This is another young adult novel that will have younger readers transfixed' The Metro 
'A slow-burn summer novel packed with intrigue' Culturefly - 22 Books to add to your Summer Reading List 
 
 
Read more captivating fiction from Emily Barr: 
 
The One Memory of Flora Banks 
The Truth and Lies of Ella Black 
The Girl Who Came Out of the Woods 
Things to do Before The End of the World 
Ghosted

A slow-burn summer novel packed with intrigue.

Culturefly - 22 Books to add to your Summer Reading List

Original plot and charming protagonist . . . Her [Emily's] page-turning talents are put to good use as the reader accompanies a brave teenager on a journey to discover who she really is.

Irish Times on The One Memory of Flora Banks

Mesmerizing, electric, and achingly lovely . . . One of the best YA novels I've read in a very long time

Jennifer Niven on The One Memory of Flora Banks

If you like dark fiction you'll devour it

Heat - on The Truth and Lies of Ella Black

A sun-splashed Cornish thriller with a dark heart, ideal for YA fans of E Lockhart.

Guardian - Summer reading: 50 brilliant books to discover

An intoxicating mix of mystery, suspense and first love.

THE ONE MEMORY OF FLORA BANKS, published in 2017, was Emily Barr's first novel for young adults and was a global hit, publishing in 27 languages. Before that, she worked as a journalist in London but always hankered after a quiet room and a book to write. She went travelling for a year, which gave her an idea for a novel set in the world of backpackers in Asia. This became BACKPACK, an adult thriller which won the WH Smith New Talent Award, and she has since written eleven more adult novels published in the UK and around the world. She lives in Cornwall with her husband and their children.

A bold new story for fans of We Were Liars, intertwining past and present, love and loss, from the bestselling author of The One Memory of Flora Banks. 
 
'A sun-splashed Cornish thriller with a dark heart, ideal for YA fans of E Lockhart' Guardian 
 
ONE HOT SUMMER, FIRST LOVE AND SO MANY BURIED SECRETS . . . 
 
Senara has never been in love before. She's not done anything exciting before. Always the sidekick . . . Until the summer that changes everything. 
 
Cliff House is closed off for most of the year until its rich Londoner owners come down to Cornwall for the summer. This year, despite herself, Senara finds herself pulled into this world of wealth and ease, sunbathing and beautiful people. She even finds herself falling in love for the first time. 
 
But Cliff House and its owners are hiding things. They've been hiding things for too long and now, despite all their efforts, their secrets are coming out . . . Secrets that involve Senara's friends and her family in a way she could never have imagined. 
 
'This is another young adult novel that will have younger readers transfixed' The Metro 
'A slow-burn summer novel packed with intrigue' Culturefly - 22 Books to add to your Summer Reading List 
 
 
Read more captivating fiction from Emily Barr: 
 
The One Memory of Flora Banks 
The Truth and Lies of Ella Black 
The Girl Who Came Out of the Woods 
Things to do Before the End of the World 
Ghosted

Ghosted

An emotional love story with a thrilling twist from the globally bestselling author of The One Memory of Flora Banks. 
 
Ariel's accidental meeting with a handsome stranger called Joe is completely perfect; they have a connection like she's never known before. They exchange numbers and agree to meet when he is back from a trip to France. But when Ariel messages him, the number Joe gave her is disconnected. He's ghosted her. She assumes she will never see him again. 
 
Except she does. Again and again. 
 
Ariel returns to the place she and Joe met, and is stunned to find him there, not in France as he said he'd be, and behaving as if he has no idea who she is. 
 
It turns out that their first meeting has been life-changing for them both, actually it's even more than that for Joe. But what do you do when - with every day that passes - you're literally growing apart from the best person you've ever known . . . ?

Original plot and charming protagonist . . . Her [Emily's] page-turning talents are put to good use as the reader accompanies a brave teenager on a journey to discover who she really is.

THE ONE MEMORY OF FLORA BANKS, published in 2017, was Emily Barr's first  novel for young adults and was a global hit, publishing in 27 languages.  Before that, she worked as a journalist in London but always hankered  after a quiet room and a book to write. She went travelling for a year,  which gave her an idea for a novel set in the world of backpackers in  Asia. This became BACKPACK, an adult thriller which won the WH Smith New  Talent Award, and she has since written eleven more adult novels  published in the UK and around the world.  She lives in Cornwall with  her husband and their children.

Meeting Joe changed everything. It gave me hope . . . I never wanted to stop talking to him. I wanted him to tell me everything about what it was like to be him. 
 
 
 Ariel's accidental meeting with a handsome stranger called Joe is completely perfect; they have a connection like she's never known before. They exchange numbers and agree to meet when he is back from a trip to France. But when Ariel messages him, the number Joe gave her is disconnected. He's ghosted her. She assumes she will never see him again. 
 
 Except she does. Again and again. 
 
 Ariel returns to the place she and Joe met, and is stunned to find him there, not in France as he said he'd be, and behaving as if he has no idea who she is. 
 
 It turns out that their first meeting has been life-changing for them both, actually it's even more than that for Joe. But what do you do when - with every day that passes - you're literally growing apart from the best person you've ever known . . . ?

Penguin Readers Level 5: The One Memory of Flora Banks (ELT Graded Reader)

Penguin Readers is an ELT graded reader series for learners of English as a foreign language. With carefully adapted text, new illustrations and language learning exercises, the print edition also includes instructions to access supporting material online. 
 
Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction, introducing language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. 
 
The eight levels of Penguin Readers follow the Common European Framework of Reference for language learning (CEFR). Exercises at the back of each Reader help language learners to practise grammar, vocabulary, and key exam skills. Before, during and after-reading questions test readers' story comprehension and develop vocabulary. 
 
Seventeen-year-old Flora Banks has an illness and can't remember anything for very long. She writes notes to herself to help her remember things. But one day, Flora kisses a boy and she remembers it. Flora must find the boy who kissed her and learn why she still has that one memory. 
 
Visit the Penguin Readers website 
Exclusively with the print edition, readers can unlock online resources including a digital book, audio edition, lesson plans and answer keys.

THE ONE MEMORY OF FLORA BANKS published in 2017 was Emily Barr's first novel for young adults and was a global hit, publishing in 27 languages. Before that, she worked as a journalist in London but always hankered after a quiet room and a book to write. She went travelling for a year, which gave her an idea for a novel set in the world of backpackers in Asia. This became BACKPACK, an adult thriller which won the WH Smith New Talent Award, and she has since written eleven more adult novels published in the UK and around the world.  She lives in Cornwall with her husband and their children.

With carefully adapted text, new illustrations, language practise activities and additional online resources, the Penguin Readers series introduces language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction. 
 
The One Memory of Flora, a Level 5 Reader, is B1 in the CEFR framework. The text is made up of sentences with up to four clauses, introducing present perfect continuous, past perfect, reported speech and second conditional. It is well supported by illustrations, which appear regularly. 
 
Seventeen-year-old Flora Banks has an illness and can't remember anything for very long. She writes notes to herself to help her remember things. But one day, Flora kisses a boy and she remembers it. Flora must find the boy who kissed her and learn why she still has that one memory.

Things to do Before the End of the World

Timely and powerful; the new coming-of-age thriller from the bestselling author of The One Memory of Flora Banks. 
 
 
1. Live your best life. 
2. Uncover family secrets. 
3. Trust no one 
 
What would you do when you hear the news that humans have done such damage to the earth that there might only be a limited amount of safe air left - a year's worth at most? 
You'd work through your bucket list, heal rifts, do everything you've never been brave enough to do before? 
 
 
Olivia is struggling to do any of this. What it is she truly wants to do? Who do she wants to be? 
 
Then out of the blue comes contact from a long-lost cousin Olivia didn't even know existed. Natasha is everything Olivia wants to be and more. 
And as the girls meet up for a long, hot last summer, Olivia finds Natasha's ease and self-confidence having an effect on her. 
 
But Natasha definitely isn't everything she first appears to be . . . 
 
 
I walked home. I kept hearing footsteps behind me, but every time I turned around, no one was there.

A pacy page-turner that packs a significant emotional punch

Guardian on The One Memory of Flora Banks

1. Live your best life. 
2. Uncover family secrets. 
3. Trust no one 
 What would you do when you hear the news that humans have done such damage to the earth that there might only be a limited amount of safe air left - a year's worth at most? 
You'd work through your bucket list, heal rifts, do everything you've never been brave enough to do before? 
 
 Olivia is struggling to do any of this. What it is she truly wants to do? Who do she wants to be? 
 
Then out of the blue comes contact from a long-lost cousin Olivia didn't even know existed. Natasha is everything Olivia wants to be and more. And as the girls meet up for a long, hot last summer, Olivia finds Natasha's ease and self-confidence having an effect on her. 
 
But Natasha definitely isn't everything she first appears to be . . . 
 
 
I walked home. I kept hearing footsteps behind me, but every time I turned around, no one was there. 
 
 
Timely and powerful; this is the new coming-of-age thriller from the bestselling author of The One Memory of Flora Banks.

The Girl Who Came Out of the Woods

TFW you wake up and realise you're trending... #GirlOutoftheWoods 
 
Arty has always lived in the Clearing, a commune hidden in the forests of south India. But her happy life, separate from the rest of the world, is shattered after a terrible event. 
 
 For the first time, Arty must leave her home, and head into the intriguing but frightening outside world. On the streets of India, a chance encounter leads to her becoming an unwilling overnight celebrity. 
 
 As she embarks on her journey, she discovers she is being followed by thousands of strangers, who seem to know her every move... 
 
Forced to fight against mysterious hashtags and being constantly photographed, how can she find the help she desperately needs? 
 
 Everything is changing too fast for this girl who came out of the woods... could she be running into a trap? 
 
 The new thriller from the acclaimed author of The One Memory of Flora Banks, perfect for fans of Karen McManus, E. Lockhart and Sophie McKenzie. 
 
Praise for The Girl Who Came Out of the Woods: 
 
'Compelling and brilliantly written'- Fabulous Magazine 
 
'Barr brilliantly captures Arty's naivety and eager innocence as she's swept up in the globalised world of capitalism and social media'- The Observer 
 
'A pacey, original thriller' - The Guardian 
 
'Arty's fresh insights into the world make for an amusing, poignant story' - The Sun

I've been trapped here for days. What if I die here? I decided to write down my story so that one day, when I'm discovered, they will know who I was and why I was here. 
 
Arty has always lived in the Clearing, a small settlement in the forests of south India. But their happy life, hidden from the rest of the world, is shattered by a terrible accident. For the first time in her sixteen years, Arty must leave the only place she's ever known, into the outside world she's been taught to fear. 
 
Her only goal is to get help from a woman called Tania, who used to live in the forest, and the Uncle she knows is out there, somewhere. As she embarks on the terrifying journey, pursued by an enemy she can't fathom, Arty soon realises that not everyone is to be trusted. She's looking for answers, but what she'll learn from Tania and Uncle Matthew is a shocking truth about her past. 
 
Everything is changing too fast for this girl who came out of the woods, and is she running into a trap...?

The Truth and Lies of Ella Black

Ella Black seems to live the life most other seventeen-year-olds would kill for . . . 
 
Until one day, telling her nothing, her parents whisk her off to Rio de Janeiro. Determined to find out why, Ella takes her chance and searches through their things. 
 
And realises her life has been a lie. 
 
Her mother and father aren't hers at all. Unable to comprehend the truth, Ella runs away, to the one place they'll never think to look - the favelas. 
 
But there she learns a terrible secret - the truth about her real parents and their past. And the truth about a mother, desperate for a daughter taken from her seventeen years ago . . .

Barr is superb at evoking the heightened emotions of adolescence: the exhilarating thrill of first love, the intensity of fear and rage at adults' deception and the need to discover one's own identity. 
With disturbing undertones, vivid characters and authentic dialogue, this is a worthy successor to her wonderful debut, The One Memory of Flora Banks

Evoking Ella's intoxicating new surroundings while skewering the facile assumptions of "poverty tourism", Barr's second YA novel is a fast-paced, dramatic search for answers to the secrets of the self

Colourful setting and pacy plot. If you like dark fiction you'll devour it

Emily Barr already proved she could hit all the right teen-fiction notes in last year's The One Memory of Flora Banks. This taps the same vein. Ella's parents are doting to the point of smothering but they don't know about the dark and twisty part of her that threatens to destroy everything

Ella Black seems to live the life most other seventeen-year-olds would kill for . . . 
 
 Until one day, telling her nothing, her parents whisk her off to Rio de Janeiro. Determined to find out why, Ella takes her chance and searches through their things. 
 
 And realises her life has been a lie. 
 
 Unable to comprehend the truth, Ella runs away, to the one place they'll never think to look - the favelas. 
 
 But there she learns a terrible secret - the truth about the deepest darkest side of herself . . .

Emily Barr

Venice, 2024Hazel has managed to escape her destructive relationship with her older boyfriend. In the dreamy Italian sunshine, she is able to stop looking over her shoulder in case Freddie has followed her. But there’s a girl she keeps seeing in the city. A girl with beautiful eyes. And whenever Hazel sees her and their eyes meet, something strange seems to happen . . .England, 2022Hazel goes to see an up-and-coming local band. She locks eyes with the lead singer, Freddie, and he finds her afterwards and slips her his number. She’s not even 16. He is ten years older. She knows it’s stupid. She didn’t even think it was boys she was into. But it’s everything a girl could dream of. Until it’s absolutely not . . .

Emily Barr

A Girl Can Dream

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