Welcome to my stop on the Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick blog tour!! I am so, so excited to be a part of this tour, and to share some info about Huntley’s fabulous new book with you! And, I want to take a minute to wish Huntley a very happy book birthday, I am so honored to be hosting a stop on the release day!! 
The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick Published by Dial Books on August 18th 2015
Pages: 432
A surprising, utterly romantic companion to My Life Next Door—great for fans of Sarah Dessen and Jenny Han Tim Mason was The Boy Most Likely To find the liquor cabinet blindfolded, need a liver transplant, and drive his car into a houseAlice Garrett was The Girl Most Likely To . . . well, not date her little brother’s baggage-burdened best friend, for starters.For Tim, it wouldn’t be smart to fall for Alice. For Alice, nothing could be scarier than falling for Tim. But Tim has never been known for making the smart choice, and Alice is starting to wonder if the “smart” choice is always the right one. When these two crash into each other, they crash hard.Then the unexpected consequences of Tim’s wild days come back to shock him. He finds himself in a situation that isn’t all it appears to be, that he never could have predicted . . . but maybe should have.And Alice is caught in the middle.Told in Tim’s and Alice’s distinctive, disarming, entirely compelling voices, this novel is for readers of The Spectacular Now, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, and Paper Towns.
Today, I have a guest post from Huntley to share with you! First, I just want to thank Huntley so, so much for sharing this amazing post with us: it tells the story of her character, Tim, but also of things we all face in life. I am so, so honored to be able to share this with you!
One thing teenagers don’t do well, at heart, is surface. This is a problem, because “lookin’ good” is something that is constantly asked of everyone beginning in their teen years. My eldest daughter remembers with rueful laughter my husband telling her “Your childhood is over.” But, in a sense, that happens when you hit fourteen, fifteen, sixteen. Suddenly, you’re playing for keeps.
Those selves you were trying on for size? Better pick the right one, right fast.
The idea that your choices—past or not, regretted or not–define you is something all my characters (and, okay, me too) struggle with. In the BOY MOST LIKELY TO, my hero, Tim Mason, is a recovering alcoholic. He’s not just dealing with the symptoms of that—the cravings, the crazy thinking—but with the stigma. A problem he grapples with—just wanting to get high and numb out, one that threatens to overwhelm him, is viewed as something he can control if he tries hard enough. His father, in particular, feels this way, ordering Tim at the beginning of the book to become “a man” (meaning both substance and problem-free) by Christmas.
Tim can joke about and pretend to blow off his father’s definition of manhood, but it hurts, and the story is one of him learning to shuck off defining himself from the outside in, and discovering how it feels to walk comfortably in his own skin, weaknesses, mistakes, mental challenges and all, including the strength that comes only from struggle.
For me, the great lie every mental health issue tells is this one: that we should be alone, ashamed and silent about what afflicts us. We all have our sh*t. Not only does no one get out of here alive, but maybe, just maybe, if we are to understand and connect and be real with one another, no one should. There’s a Leonard Cohen line: “Everything has a crack in it, that’s how the light gets in”—
You’re broken? Me too . Welcome to the human race. We walk slowly, and sometimes we have to stop, rest, retrace our steps, but we get there…
I’m thinking bumper stickers and pride parades.
I just want to thank Huntley so, so much for sharing this with us. I think it says a lot about what an awesome author and person she is for talking about this, and being so, so awesome in agreeing to my (likely off-the wall/out of the blue) request! Also, I am all for this bumper sticker and parade idea- where do I sign up? 😉
THIS IS A FABULOUS GUEST POST. I’m so glad that books like these are being written, because without them, I would probably be one of those people who think that addictions are senseless and are easy to grow out of. And yes, it’s not easy to grow up, but sometimes you’re forced to do it in the snap of two fingers. 🙁 Every single thing we do will have an impact on who we become.
I concur, it is wonderful! And so, so few YA books talk about addiction, unless it is an outlying character, so this is extra fabulous! You’re so right Aimee- everything DOES impact us, and it is kind of scary to realize that!
THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL POST. But that’s to be expected since Huntley has such an amazing writing style.
I definitely feel like our past choices define us. I know I’ve spent a lot of time thinking (cringing) at some of the things I’ve done in the past but if I hadn’t done those things, I wouldn’t be who I am today.
Also we really do need that parade and those bumper stickers. Yes, I really do like the sound of that.
Thank you so so much for sharing this post with us, Shannon <3
I agree, she definitely did a fantastic job! ANd they DO define us, at least to the extent that we need to be cognizant of our choices. I wish there was also some kind of decision do-over time machine. Can we make that a thing too maybe?
Amazing post!! <3 I love it sooo much. I honestly haven't read any of her books but I've heard they're amazing so I'm excited to get to them someday! 😀
Aw thank you! Same here, actually! I have two of them now, just waiting to get a few spare hours 😀 Hope you enjoy when you get the chance!
Huntley did such a great job with this post! “Suddenly, you’re playing for keeps. Those selves you were trying on for size? Better pick the right one, right fast.” <– This is exactly what growing up feels like sometimes. As a kid not much is expected of you, but then suddenly you get older and you feel like EVERYTHING is expected of you. And suddenly it's like a race to figure who you really are and what you want to do with your life. But really, you're still trying to figure out other, simpler things, and it all feels a bit overwhelming.
And I'm glad this post has given us a bit more insight on Tim! TBH, I don't really remember him that well from My Life Next Door, so this mad me a little more excited.
It is SO TRUE. I had this panic when I was sixteen and being told to decide on a college- um, NO! I cannot make that kind of decision! And the scary thing is, it DID matter, and my shitty decision DID make my life a mess. It is so, so overwhelming, and people swear you “find yourself” but I am starting to think they’re lying 😉 Hope you love the book!
Wonderful post!!! 🙂 My Life Next Door is one of my all time favourite books and I am so excited for my copy of The Boy Most Likely to arrive, I am going to read it in one day!!! 🙂
Thanks so much! I am excited to read it as well- I hope you love it!! 😀
This is a lovely guest post, and I think Huntely does such a fantastic job with Tim’s character. You can really see his growth and how he comes to be more confident in his own skin. I didn’t always love the direction this book took, but Tim’s inner journey was incredible!
Aw yay, I am really excited to read about his journey, I think it sounds very unique, especially in YA!
interesting post; never read this author