Synopsis:
When Oakley Nelson loses her brother, Lucas, to cancer, she thinks she’ll never recover. Between her parents’ arguing and the battle she’s fighting with depression, she feels nothing inside but a hollow emptiness. When Mom suggests they spend the summer in California with Aunt Jo, Oakley isn’t sure that a change of scenery will alter anything, but she’s willing to give it a try.
In California, Oakley discovers a sort of safety and freedom in Aunt Jo’s beach house. Once they’re settled, Mom hands her a notebook full of letters addressed to her—from Lucas. As Oakley reads one each day, she realizes how much he loved her, and each letter challenges her to be better and to continue to enjoy her life. He wants her to move on.
If only it were that easy.
But then a surfer named Carson comes into her life, and Oakley is blindsided. He makes her feel again. As she lets him in, she is surprised by how much she cares for him, and things get complicated. How can she fall in love and be happy when Lucas never got the chance to do those very same things?
With her brother’s dying words as guidance, Oakley must learn to listen to and trust herself again. She soon realizes that second chances are ways to learn from the past, and you don’t always have to leave the past behind to find happiness in the future.
“A deeply moving tale of unimaginable loss and the redemptive power of love. Sedgwick masterfully delves into the painful details of losing a loved one, breaking your heart even as her beautiful words stitch you back together. Romance and friendship, true growth and authentic healing, this story blew me away. It takes a special book to bring tears to my eyesand make me swoon... Love, Lucas? Yeah, this book is special.” —Rachel Harris, New York Times bestselling author
"Chantele Sedgwick's Love, Lucas, is a beautiful story about finding hope, first loves, and learning to live again after the loss of a sibling. With a fantastic cast, and the gorgeous setting of the California coast, this book is one fabulous read." —Jolene Perry author of The Summer I Found You
"A beautiful, moving novel of loss and love. Sedgwick’s elegant prose weave a heart-breaking tale that stays with you long after you have finished the last page." —G. R. Mannering, author of Roses
“An emotional summer of love, hope, and healing! Love, Lucas is easy to adore with Sedgwick’s real relationships, sweet romance, and tale of renewal.” —Lizzy Charles, author of Effortless With You
"Chantele Sedgwick navigates the dark waters of grief with a deft hand and plenty of heart.Love, Lucas will drag readers under before bringing them back to the surface for a life-saving breath of hope." —Amy Finnegan, author of Not In the Script
Oh, so hard. My favorite book I’ve read recently, is All The Truth That’s In Me by Julie Berry. Beautiful story, beautiful writing, go check it out now!
I love Bones and Big Bang Theory :)
So…many… Avengers, Lord of the Rings, Pride and Prejudice, Pitch Perfect, I could seriously go on and on. HUGE movie fan.
I don’t know if I have a favorite song, but I LOVE Imagine Dragons!
I love salad. Is that weird?
Hogwarts, for SURE, Middle Earth is gorgeous, (most of it) and I’d love to hang with Mr. Darcy. :)
I love Percy Jackson… :)
“Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” - Albus Dumbledore
Sherlock. Hands down.
J. K. Rowling. Harry Potter changed everything.
Never stop believing in yourself. Even if your hopes and dreams seem hard and unobtainable, keep fighting, keep trying and don’t give up. You only live once, so make it the very best you can. :)
Hello Chantele! We are super excited to have you in our FFBC tours.
Love, Lucas is a book about a girl and her best friend, Lucas. Who is also her brother. When he loses his battle with cancer, Oakley finds a notebook he left behind for her which helps her find herself again. So I’d say it’s about first love, second chances and finding the strength to move on when life gets hard.
Oakley is shy, selfless, and would do anything for those she loves. Also a big fan of hoodies, plays the guitar and has a thing for surfers.
Her voice came pretty naturally. In some of the emotional scenes though, I’d get a bit teary. I’ve lost a few loved ones in my life and writing down the emotions I felt was hard for me. But her story flowed very easy for me.
I’m really close to my siblings and one day as I sat waiting to pick up my kids at school, I started writing some letters from a brother to a sister. I imagined what it would be like if I lost my brother or one of my sisters and Love, Lucas was born.
“You don’t have to forget someone to move on. They can still be with you. And all the memories you had together? They never go away.” - Carson
I loved the surfing scenes. Especially the one when she has to squeeze into her wetsuit in front of Carson. I’d be mortified… :)
Demons by Imagine Dragons.
I like to think of Love, Lucas as the perfect summer read. Some Coldplay or Imagine Dragons on in the background, some M&M’s next to you while you sit outside on the porch swing. *sigh* It’s pouring here, so I’m ready for some sunshine!
I have a few announcements coming that I can’t announce yet, but SOON. Very soon. In the meantime, I’m writing more books and hope to see more on the shelves. Soon. :)
Don’t ever be afraid to get help. If you’re having a hard time, there are so many resources who can help you. A teacher. A friend. A parent. A counselor. Depression is a very real thing and most of the time, you can’t get out of it alone. You’re not broken. You can be fixed and you can live up to your full potential if you reach out and get help. Also, if you’ve lost someone, hang on to those memories. That person will want you to be happy, but you don’t have to forget them or leave the past behind. They are always with you cheering you on. Cherish those you love, stay close to those you trust and treasure family and friendships. Life is short, so make as many memories as you can with those who matter most.
Thank you so much for everything, Chantele!
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Chantele Sedgwick is a YA author, harpist, wife to one and stay-at-home mom to four. She loves happy endings, Kit Kats and judging by her book shelves, buys way too many books.
I've been reading a lot of contemporary YA lately, that have been amazing. This one seems like a great read. I requested on Edelweiss, but didn't get approved. Hopefully, I'll get to read it soon.
ReplyDeleteThank you guys so much for all of your hard work! You're amazing! :)
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