Today we’re spotlighting Grave Things Like Love (Sara Bennett Wealer)
Read on for more about Sara, her book, and and a first look!
Meet Sara Bennett Wealer
I grew up in Manhattan, Kansas (the “Little Apple”), where I sang in all the choirs and wrote for my high school newspaper. I majored in voice performance at the University of Kansas before deciding I had no business making a career as an opera singer. I transferred to journalism school, where no one cares if you can hit a high C or convincingly play a Valkyrie, and became a reporter covering everything from house fires to Hollywood premieres.
These days, I write event scripts and marketing copy while the sun is out. By night, I write YA. My most recent book, NOW & WHEN is also available from Delacorte Press. I live in Cincinnati with my husband, two daughters, two dogs and four cats, and I still sing sometimes when my schedule allows. When I’m not writing, you’ll find me at the ballet, or obsessively watching ballet on Instagram and TikTok.
About Grave Things Like Love:
Elaine’s home is a bit . . . different. It’s a funeral home that has been in her family since the 1800s—and the reason people call her Funeral Girl. Everyone assumes Elaine will take it over someday—everybody except Elaine. When Xander, a newcomer with a passion for ghost hunting, arrives in town, Elaine feels an instant spark. He’s daring and spontaneous. With Xander, she feels herself transforming from Funeral Girl to Fun Girl. But not everyone is thrilled to see her changing, least of all her childhood best friend, Miles. After Xander convinces Elaine to ghost hunt at the funeral home, they discover it might be haunted by a kindred spirit—the daughter of the original owner. And this spirit has a message, one Elaine is certain can give her the advice she craves about what to do with her life—and which boy deserves her heart.
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~Excerpt~
“Hey.” Miles pulls me to him, and it feels so good. I rest my head on his chest, and for the first time since I don’t know how long, I let myself relax.
“I’m sorry,” he says. “I didn’t mean to leave you alone. I just . . . things have been hard for me, too.”
“Then why don’t you talk to me?” I ask. “I want to help. Whatever is bothering you, you can tell me about it.”
“See, I don’t think I can.”
“Why, Miles?”
“Because it’s you. You’re my problem.”
I lift my head and study his face, the one I’ve known since grade school. He’s the same old Miles, but there’s something more in his expression now, something guarded.
“How am I your problem?”
He closes his eyes.
“When you said I sucked at hiding how I feel, I figured it was obvious. I feel like it’s been obvious since maybe about seventh grade, but you somehow have never seemed to see it.”
Warning lights start flashing in my head like some demented Christmas display.
“Miles, don’t.”
This “it” he’s talking about: I did see. I saw it, and I felt it, and it scared me because this it is not supposed to be happening between us.
“I have to say this,” he says. I can see myself reflected in the clear blue of his eyes, and even though I want to look away, I can’t. “I have to tell you that I love you. I’ve tried to keep it inside for years now. And for the past whole month I was working up my courage to tell you. I’ve been feeling like things need to change.”
“They don’t.”
“That’s not what you said before.”
Before I was talking about Pax and Skye—a science fiction show. Right now we’re talking about real life. My life. And I’ve been counting on this part of my life—Miles and me as best friends—to stay the same.
“Miles, come on—”
“I have to at least try.”
He reaches under my chin and tilts my face toward his. His fingers creep up to my cheek in the gentlest of caresses. His hand moves to the back of my neck, leaving an agonizing trail of warm tingles in its wake. Slowly, almost tentatively, he pulls me in until his lips find mine.
Title: Grave Things Like Love
Author: Sara Bennett Wealer
Release Date: Oct. 11, 2022
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Genre: YA
Age Range: 12-18
