Today we're excited to chat with Robyn Schneider author of

You Don't Live Here.

Read on for more about Robyn and her book, plus an giveaway.

Meet Robyn Schneider!

Robyn Schneider is the bestselling author of The Beginning of Everything, Extraordinary Means, and Invisible Ghosts, which have earned numerous starred reviews, appeared on many state reading lists, and been published in over a dozen countries. She is a graduate of Columbia University, where she studied creative writing, and the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, where she earned a master of bioethics. She lives in Los Angeles, California, but also on Instagram. You can follow her @robynschneider

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Meet You Don't Live Here!

Robyn Schneider, author of The Beginning of Everything, delivers a witty and heartbreaking tale of first love, second beginnings, and last chances in this timely and authentic bisexual coming-of-age story, perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera.

In Southern California, no one lives more than thirty miles from the nearest fault line. Sasha Bloom is standing right on top of one when her world literally crumbles around her. With her mother now dead and father out of the picture, Sasha moves in with her estranged grandparents.

Living in her mom’s old bedroom, Sasha has no idea who she is anymore. Luckily, her grandparents are certain they know who she should be: A lawyer in the making. Ten pounds skinnier. In a socially advantageous relationship with a boy from a good family—a boy like Cole Edwards.

And Cole has ideas for who Sasha should be, too. His plus one at lunch. His girlfriend. His.

Sasha tries to make everything work, but that means folding away her love of photography, her grief for her mother, and he growing interest in the magnificently clever Lily Chen. Sasha wants to follow Lily off the beaten path, to discover hidden beaches, secret menus, and the truth about dinosaur pee.

But being friends with Lily might lead somewhere new. Is Sasha willing to stop being the girl everyone expects and let the girl beneath the surface breath through?

Amazon * B & N * Indiebound

~ Author Chat ~

YABC:  What gave you the inspiration to write this book?

My two favorite shows growing up were Gilmore Girls and The OC. But as much as I related to Seth Cohen and Rory Gilmore, I didn’t see myself in them in all of the ways that I wanted to. You Don’t Live Here is a queer love letter to the stories I loved as a teen, but it’s also a coming of age story set in the aftermath of a tragedy. It’s a story I’ve ben looking for for a long time--a romance that explores the blurred lines between friendship and dating, and how even more blurred those lines become when you identify as bisexual. This is a book that I wish I could send back in time to my teenage self.

YABC:  Who is your favorite character in the book?

I love Lily the most, but I had the best time writing Cole. I’ve always wanted to write a tarnished golden boy with a redemption arc. He was the most fascinating character to figure out, since he has his own drama going on behind the scenes. Lily’s a girl I absolutely would have been obsessed with in high school. She’s fearless and smart and loyal and unapologetically enthusiastic about things. I think she has the best dialogue of anyone, because she’s always been an outsider, and instead of it making her self-conscious, she embraces what makes her different. 

YABC:  Which came first, the title or the novel?

The title! I had a very different book in mind, a sort of psychological thriller. But a few of the characters from that story migrated into this one, and then that thrillerish story turned out to be a spectacularly bad idea, and before I knew it, this book had stolen the title and repurposed it perfectly. 

YABC:  What scene in the book are you most proud of, and why?

The scene at the lifeguard stand after the homecoming party. It’s this moment when Lily and Sasha truly connect with each other, and when they’re both so overwhelmed by what they’re feeling, but they’re talking about dinosaur pee. There’s this sense of yearning to that scene that I’m so proud of, and this magic of discovering that a person you’ve admired from afar is just as good up close. 

      YABC:   What do you like most about the cover of the book?

The cover is a double metaphor. It’s fault lines, to represent an earthquake, but it’s also Kintsugi, which is this idea of repairing broken pottery with gold. It plays an important role in the book, so the meaning of the cover changes the further you get in the story.

YABC:   What new release book are you looking most forward to in 2020?

It’s a three-way tie between The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab, A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik and Harrow The Ninth by Tamsyn Muir!

YABC:  What was your favorite book in 2019?

Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

YABC:  What’s up next for you?

A fantasy series! It’s a total change-up from what I’ve been writing, but it’s very me, because it’s a metaphor-driven coming of age thing about smart outsiders. Except instead of being stressed over AP Exams, there are magic swords that cure hangovers, and medieval theater kids, and traumatic soap, and castles and libraries and things. Spring 2022—put it on your calendar, or maybe just follow me on instagram for updates?

You Don't Live Here

By: Robyn Schneider

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Release Date: June 2nd, 2020

*GIVEAWAY DETAILS* 

Three winners will each receive a copy of You Don't Live Here (Robyn Schneider) ~ (US Only)

*Click the Rafflecopter link below to enter the giveaway*

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