“Every sentence is a heartbreaking, vivid jewel, thanks to the author’s astonishingly precise descriptive powers” — Ginger Pinholster

Join us for the launch of Never Leave Me Alone, Crissa Jean-Chappell’s riveting YA thriller about an Instagram star racing against the clock to find out who’s behind a deadly game of dares across the Space Coast of Florida.

Crissa-Jean will be joined by writer Greg Takoudes for a reading, conversation, and Q&A, followed by a reception and signing.

Preorder your copy of Never Leave Me Alone

Can’t make it to the event? Preorder at the link above to receive a signed copy for store pickup or shipping. Indicate any personalization requests in the “Instructions and comments” field during checkout.

About the book

Seventeen-year-old Birdie lives for danger— from rooftopping abandoned hotels to chasing the perfect shot for her Instagram alter ego, Bad Altitude. Her dying Florida beach town may be crumbling, but her follower count is rising fast. She’s one viral post away from escaping the Space Coast for good. Then she meets Micah, a daredevil TikTok star with a taste for high-stakes stunts and even higher risks. At first, Birdie thinks she’s found a kindred spirit. But Micah is secretly playing a deadly game online— and after he falls to his death, Birdie is left with more questions than answers. Determined to uncover the truth, she retraces his final stunts, getting dangerously close to his brother, Jayce. Can she trust him, or is he hiding something too? Now someone’s watching Birdie— both online and off — and she’s forced to keep playing. Because in this game, there’s only one rule: if you quit, you die.

About the author

Crissa-Jean Chappell was born in Miami and now lives in Brooklyn, New York. She is the author of several award-winning novels, including TOTAL CONSTANT ORDER (a VOYA Perfect Ten) and SNOWBIRDS (" ...an engrossing mystery..." School Library Journal). Her most recent novel is SUN DOESN’T SHINE (a Children’s Book Council Favorite). She holds a PhD and MFA from the University of Miami and is a professor of creative writing at Lehman College.

About Greg Takoudes

Greg is a writer, filmmaker, and professor of film studies based in New York City. Greg is the author of the critically-acclaimed young adult novel When We Wuz Famous, published in 2013 by Christy Ottaviano Books/Henry Holt Books for Young Readers and in 2015 by Square Fish/Macmillan Children’s Group in paperback. Greg lives in Brooklyn with his wife (a cookbook editor at Phaidon), two children, and an Aussie-Collie.

Time: 6:30 pm EST

Free!

Registration