About

Kyra has always dreamed of experiencing life outside France, but she never imagined that one exchange year could change everything. At seventeen, Kyra leaves her life in Paris behind to spend her junior year in the United States. For the next year, she’ll be living with the Carter family—a warm, welcoming couple, their daughter Maddie, and their older son Jason, a senior at the same high school she’ll be attending. Maddie makes Kyra feel at home almost immediately. The two girls become inseparable, and Maddie introduces Kyra to everything American high-school life has to offer: football games, late-night study sessions, sleepovers, campfires, parties, truth-or-dare games, new friendships, and all the little moments that make teenage life unforgettable. Jason, however, isn’t nearly as welcoming. As a senior, Jason already has his own life, his own friends, and his own routines. He never asked for a stranger to move into his house for an entire year, and he makes sure Kyra knows it. He’s sarcastic, distant, and constantly irritated by her presence. Kyra doesn’t exactly make an effort to win him over either. She has Maddie, a new school, and an entirely new world to discover, so Jason’s attitude isn’t going to ruin her year. At least, that’s what she tells herself. Starting at an American high school isn’t always easy. Kyra may speak English almost perfectly, but understanding a new country’s social rules is a completely different story. While she tries to find her place, she catches the attention of Haley, one of the most popular girls in school. Hailey is used to being the center of attention, and she doesn’t appreciate the arrival of a beautiful, unfamiliar girl who suddenly seems to attract everyone’s curiosity. With Brianna and Emma always at her side, Hailey quickly makes it clear that Kyra isn’t welcome in her circle. But Kyra isn’t interested in becoming popular. She’s there to experience something new, make memories, and enjoy the year she’s been given. Then there’s Chase. Chase Callahan is a handsome, confident, incredibly popular senior—and one of Jason’s biggest rivals. He’s charming, flirtatious, and completely aware of the effect he has on people. Girls fall for him easily, but everyone knows his reputation. Chase doesn’t stay with anyone for long, and more than one girl has ended up heartbroken because of him. So when Chase starts flirting with Kyra, everyone tells her to stay away. Kyra knows she should probably listen. But Chase is fun, exciting, and persistent. He asks her out, gives her attention, and makes her feel like the most interesting girl in the room. For a while, it’s easy to ignore the warnings. Jason, however, doesn’t seem able to ignore them. He insists that he doesn’t care who Kyra spends time with. He insists that Chase is just trouble. And whenever Kyra asks why he suddenly seems so irritated whenever Chase is around, Jason always has an excuse. They’re not friends. They’re definitely not interested in each other. And Jason certainly isn’t jealous. At least, that’s what he keeps telling himself. As the school year progresses, Kyra’s relationship with Jason slowly begins to change. The boy who once couldn’t stand having her in his house starts becoming the person she can rely on without even thinking about it. Their arguments become playful teasing. Their awkward encounters become late-night conversations. And the moments when neither of them says anything begin to mean more than they should. Neither of them knows exactly when things changed. Maybe it was during a late-night conversation. Maybe it was the first time Jason defended her. Maybe it was the moment Kyra realized that his cold attitude had never meant he didn’t care. But there’s one problem: Kyra only has one year in America. And as the months pass, she begins to realize that leaving might be harder than she ever imagined. Between new friendships, school drama, parties, campfires, first dates, heartbreak, family moments, jealousy, and everything in between, Kyra’s exchange year becomes more than just an adventure. It’s the year she grows up. The year she discovers who her real friends are. The year she learns that first impressions can be completely wrong. And maybe, most unexpectedly of all, it’s the year she falls for the one person she never intended to.