From School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up—Tricia is grieving her beloved grandmother's death, alienating her potter boyfriend Brian, and contemplating suicide. She makes a telephone call to her grandmother's old number and unexpectedly bonds with Emerson, a young man with a restless girlfriend, Angie. This call forever alters the course of their intertwined lives in the Washington Island and Sturgeon Bay sections of Wisconsin. They are connected in different ways to Brenda, an aspiring actress and screenplay writer haunted by a traumatic event from her past. Wiemer's debut is smart and character-driven. The five protagonists have distinct viewpoints and share them via different narrative styles: Tricia (prose), Brian (prose and drawings), Emerson (prose), Angie (free verse poetry), and Brenda (screenplay format). They are depicted as real teens living life on their own terms, making mistakes and learning and growing from them. Readers will appreciate literary references to Ralph Waldo Emerson, the 19th-century transcendentalist essayist and poet whom Emerson is named after. Chapters open with Emerson quotes. Savvy popular culture fans will savor references to everything from Frank Sinatra's signature songs to Led Zeppelin to films like Psycho and 500 Days of Summer. The author successfully ties these threads together without weighing down the narrative. VERDICT Recommended for readers who enjoy quirky coming-of-age stories and believe in the human connection.—Donald Peebles, New York Black Librarians Caucus

Review

"Tendrils of destiny and healing weave together through this fearless exploration...of love, friendship, and family. Deeply moving!"--NYTBS author Tammara Webber of Easy and Breakable

"In her YA debut, Liza Wiemer has officially launched herself on the map with grace. Hello? is a powerful and brilliantly woven story of love, loss, and human connection that makes you believe in the world again. It owned my heart from the first page to the last. One of the most original books EVER."--Hannah McBride, The Irish Banana Review

"A sensitive and deeply drawn portrait of five teens who's lives intersect in both obvious and surprising ways. Liza Wiemer's characters are so real they keep off the page."--Leah Cypress, author of the Death Sworn Series

From the Author

Liza’s a graduate of UW-Madison (Go Badgers!) with a degree in Education. Besides being a die-hard Green Bay Packers fan, she's a romantic, a bookaholic, and a lover of crazy socks and rooftops. Liza married the guy who literary swept her off her feet at a Spyro Gyra concert. She has had two adult non-fiction books published and numerous short stories and articles. She has two sons and lives in Milwaukee, WI. Find her at LizaWiemer.com and Twitter @LizaWiemer

About the Author

Liza's a graduate of UW-Madison (Go Badgers!) with a degree in Education. Besides being a die-hard Green Bay Packers fan, she's a romantic, a bookaholic, and a lover of crazy socks and rooftops. Liza married the guy who literally swept her off her feet at a Spyro Gyra concert. She has had two adult non-fiction books published and numerous short stories and articles. She has two sons and lives in Milwaukee, WI. Find her at LizaWiemer.com and Twitter @LizaWiemer