There’s a Lot to Love in Anna Breslaw’s Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here
Take Harriet the Spy, Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl, a bit of Megan McCafferty’s Sloppy Firsts, a pinch of the Whedonverse fandom, and a dash of Amy Schumer–style humor, and whip them all up in your Vitamix to get a glimpse of debut author Anna Breslaw’s snarky titular protagonist of Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here. She’s sarcastic, angry at the world, and feels like she doesn’t really fit in anywhere—in other words, she’s a totally realistic, believable teen.
Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here
Hardcover $17.99
Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here
By Anna Breslaw
Hardcover $17.99
She’s also an aspiring writer, and writers are often advised to write what they know. So what does Scarlett know? Well, first and foremost, there’s her all-time favorite TV show, Lycanthrope High; her online community of fellow fanfiction writers; her two IRL friends, super-smart and pretty classmate Avery and earthy, pot-smoking 73-year-old neighbor Ruth; and the real-life kids at Scarlett’s high school, including her long-time crush, Gideon, who has just been taken away from her by the popular clique (including his new girlfriend, queen bee Ashley).
When Scarlett learns her beloved Lycanthrope High is being cancelled, she mourns the loss and is desperate to keep the fandom going. After some encouragement from her fanfic crew, Scarlett—under pen name Scarface—diverges from her usual LH fic to create her own OFCs (original female characters) and OMCs (original male characters)
But going outside her comfort zone as a writer is pretty intimidating for Scarlett, who decides to science-fictionalize what she knows, turning Ashley into a brainless bimbo robot and Gideon into the hapless hottie who’s dating her—and yes, there are Gidbot shippers aplenty once Scarlett starts rolling out the installments (definitely not her intention). Even Scarlett’s BFF and her new beau, whom Scarlett perceives as just another dimwit, get woven into the story.
Scarlett is a completely contradictory girl. She believes she isn’t judgmental, yet also thinks she has everyone else figured out. She knows—or thinks she knows—Ashley is vapid and idiotic and doesn’t belong with Gideon. She sees Gideon as a traitor for transitioning to the popular crowd, but wants to be with him at the same time. She thinks Mike, her best friend’s new boyfriend, is dumb, and she believes her neighbor, Ruth, is just a nutty stoner.
Scarlett even ends up writing a version of herself into the story, unsurprisingly as the dreaded Mary Sue—a major no-no in her online fanfic community. (A brief rundown on what a Mary Sue looks like in Lycanthrope High fic, according to one of Scarlett’s online pals: “1) Half-breed. 2) High morals/ideals and terribly judgmental of others. 3) Looks fiercer than anybody else in evening wear without trying. 4) Captivates main male protagonist without doing anything to earn it, really.”)
Aside from facing heat after the inevitable discovery of her fic, Scarlett has to face what lies behind her own reflexive dismissal of her peers. Can she dig a little deeper to become more like the fictionalized version of herself? And can she actually make an effort to see other people as more than two-dimensional extras in the story of her life? Find out in Breslaw’s witty and surprisingly emotional coming of age YA, out next week
Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here hits shelves April 19, and is available for pre-order now.
She’s also an aspiring writer, and writers are often advised to write what they know. So what does Scarlett know? Well, first and foremost, there’s her all-time favorite TV show, Lycanthrope High; her online community of fellow fanfiction writers; her two IRL friends, super-smart and pretty classmate Avery and earthy, pot-smoking 73-year-old neighbor Ruth; and the real-life kids at Scarlett’s high school, including her long-time crush, Gideon, who has just been taken away from her by the popular clique (including his new girlfriend, queen bee Ashley).
When Scarlett learns her beloved Lycanthrope High is being cancelled, she mourns the loss and is desperate to keep the fandom going. After some encouragement from her fanfic crew, Scarlett—under pen name Scarface—diverges from her usual LH fic to create her own OFCs (original female characters) and OMCs (original male characters)
But going outside her comfort zone as a writer is pretty intimidating for Scarlett, who decides to science-fictionalize what she knows, turning Ashley into a brainless bimbo robot and Gideon into the hapless hottie who’s dating her—and yes, there are Gidbot shippers aplenty once Scarlett starts rolling out the installments (definitely not her intention). Even Scarlett’s BFF and her new beau, whom Scarlett perceives as just another dimwit, get woven into the story.
Scarlett is a completely contradictory girl. She believes she isn’t judgmental, yet also thinks she has everyone else figured out. She knows—or thinks she knows—Ashley is vapid and idiotic and doesn’t belong with Gideon. She sees Gideon as a traitor for transitioning to the popular crowd, but wants to be with him at the same time. She thinks Mike, her best friend’s new boyfriend, is dumb, and she believes her neighbor, Ruth, is just a nutty stoner.
Scarlett even ends up writing a version of herself into the story, unsurprisingly as the dreaded Mary Sue—a major no-no in her online fanfic community. (A brief rundown on what a Mary Sue looks like in Lycanthrope High fic, according to one of Scarlett’s online pals: “1) Half-breed. 2) High morals/ideals and terribly judgmental of others. 3) Looks fiercer than anybody else in evening wear without trying. 4) Captivates main male protagonist without doing anything to earn it, really.”)
Aside from facing heat after the inevitable discovery of her fic, Scarlett has to face what lies behind her own reflexive dismissal of her peers. Can she dig a little deeper to become more like the fictionalized version of herself? And can she actually make an effort to see other people as more than two-dimensional extras in the story of her life? Find out in Breslaw’s witty and surprisingly emotional coming of age YA, out next week
Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here hits shelves April 19, and is available for pre-order now.