This Is Not a Love Scene: A Novel

by S. C. Megale

Overview

"This Is Not A Love Scene rings brilliantly true from the first page to the last." —David Baldacci, #1 New York Times bestselling author

Funny, emotional, and refreshingly honest, S.C. Megale’s This is Not a Love Scene is for anyone who can relate to feeling different while navigating the terrifying and thrilling waters of first love.

Lights, camera—all Maeve needs is action. But at eighteen, a rare form of muscular dystrophy usually stands in the way of romance. She's got her friends, her humor, and a passion for filmmaking to keep her focus off consistent rejection...and the hot older guy starring in her senior film project.

Tall, bearded, and always swaying, Cole Stone is everything Maeve can't be. And she likes it. Between takes, their chemistry is shockingly electric.

Suddenly, Maeve gets a taste of typical teenage dating life, but girls in wheelchairs don’t get the hot guy—right? Cole’s attention challenges everything she once believed about her self-image and hopes for love. But figuring this out, both emotionally and physically, won't be easy for either of them. Maeve must choose between what she needs and what she wants, while Cole has a tendency to avoid decisions altogether. And the future might not wait for either.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250190505
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	05/07/2019
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	15 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

S. C. MEGALE is an author and filmmaker. She's been profiled in USA Today, The Washington Post, and New York Newsday, and has appeared on NBC’s “Today Show” and the CBS Evening News for her philanthropic and literary work. As a humanitarian, she's spoken on the USS Intrepid, at the NASDAQ opening bell, and to universities and doctors nationwide. She enjoys making connections all over the world.

Megale was raised in the long grass of the Civil War, hunting for relics and catching fireflies along the banks of Bull Run. A shark tooth, flutes, and a flask are some of the items that hang from her wheelchair, and she had a fear of elevators until realizing this was extremely inconvenient. She lives with her family which includes her parents, sister and brother, service dog, and definitely-not-service dog.

This is Not a Love Scene is her first published novel.

Editorial Reviews

"Megale is a terrific new voice in the world of YA. This Is Not a Love Scene rings brilliantly true from the first page to the last. Megale’s prose is refreshingly original, her pacing already at a master level, and her storytelling abilities will pull hard on every emotion you have...Look out for this writer." —David Baldacci, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"A humorous, hearty novel about the realities (and fantasies) of being a teenager with a disability....Readers will want to zoom in on this [#ownvoices] story featuring a strong, sexually confident, disabled female character." —Kirkus Reviews

"Informative and inspiring. It makes for an altogether thought-provoking and empathetic reading experience." —Booklist

"This Is Not a Love Scene is so good. S.C. Megale is remarkable...This book is the result of her unswerving determination and undoubted talent." —John Flanagan, New York Times bestselling author of the Ranger’s Apprentice series

"My ride-along with Maeve was a joy from first sentence to last. She's authentic, unabashedly honest, fun to be with, and I still catch myself wondering what she's been up to lately." —Eric Lindstrom, author of Not If I See You First

"Megale's pacing and style are absolutely wonderful. I feel deeply attached to her characters, and I can’t believe how perceptive many of her descriptions/observations are, especially disability related ones." —Shane Burcaw, author of Laughing at My Nightmare

"A perfect recommendation for fans of Rainbow Rowell." —Jenny Staller, The Athenian School Librarian

From the Publisher

2019-01-23

A humorous, hearty novel about the realities (and fantasies) of being a teenager with a disability.

Maeve is a Fredericksburg, Virginia, 18-year-old looking for love, feeding her passion for film, and texting her friends. She also has "a form of muscular dystrophy," and while she may be perceived as asexual, that doesn't stop her from positively expressing her sexuality and flirting with any hot guy she sets her sights on, especially Cole Stone, an actor in a film she's shooting. Maeve is fully aware that her disability does not diminish her worth, and while it does sometimes create insecurity, it never holds her back for long. Maeve fights a variety of ableist ideas and situations, yet, strangely, she doesn't seem to consider certain events problematic, such as when a priest interrupts a parade to bless her. Unfortunately, Maeve's best friend, Mags, isn't always supportive—she is continually negative about Maeve's romantic pursuits—and seems to be more of a tool for plot development than a fully formed character. Megale's #ownvoices debut is narrated by Maeve with strings of fast-paced and memorable text messages interspersed throughout the text. The structure of the novel, with multiple points of tension and resolution, creatively maintains reader interest. The book assumes a white default for most characters; one of Maeve's friends is black.

Readers will want to zoom in on this story featuring a strong, sexually confident, disabled female character. (Fiction. 16-18)

Kirkus Reviews