Release Date: September 5, 2023
About The Book:
Impoverished high school junior Hazel Smalls and privileged senior Sterling Lovell would never ordinarily meet. But when both are punished with in-school suspension, Sterling finds himself drawn to the gorgeous, studious girl seated nearby, and an unlikely relationship begins. Set in 2012 South Carolina, the novel interlaces the stories of Hazel, living with her homeless family in the rundown Red Rose Motel; Sterling, yearning to break free from his wealthy parents’ expectations; and recently widowed Angela Wilmore, their stern but compassionate English teacher.
Hazel hides her homelessness from Sterling until he discovers her cleaning the motel’s office one morning when he goes with his slumlord father to unfreeze the motel’s pipes. With her secret revealed, their relationship deepens. Angela, who has her own struggles in a budding romance with the divorced principal, offers Hazel the support her family can’t provide.
Navigating between privilege and poverty, vulnerability and strength, all three must confront what they need from themselves and each other as Hazel gains the courage to oppose boundaries and make a bold, life-changing decision at novel’s end.
Gripping and richly drawn, The Girl from the Red Rose Motel explores the complex bonds between adults and teenagers and the power of the families we both inherit and create. Inspired by the author’s experiences teaching in a South Carolina high school, the novel is also an unflinching, authentic look at the challenges faced by America’s public school teachers and the struggles of the thousands of homeless children in motels who live, precariously and almost invisibly, amid the nation’s most affluent communities.
About The Author:
Susan Beckham Zurenda taught English for thirty-three years to college and high school students. Her debut novel, Bells for Eli, has received several awards including first place for Best First Book—Fiction in the 2021 Independent Publisher Book Awards. Zurenda has also published and won numerous awards for her short fiction. A life-long South Carolinian, she lives in Spartanburg. Learn more about her at www.susanzurenda.com.
Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/susanbeckhamzurenda
(author page)
https://www.facebook.com/susan.zurenda
(personal page)
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susanbeckhamzurenda/
Book Blurbs:
“This excellent novel gives the reader superb insight into how events at a high school can ripple out to reveal the alliances and divisions within a whole town. Zurenda’s characters are complex, and their story is deeply moving without veering into sentimentality. Bravo!–Ron Rash, author of Serena and The Caretaker
“In this beautifully written novel, a recently widowed English teacher takes a new job at a local high school, and we become deeply immersed in a world of privileged and poor students, parents who try to censor lessons, and considerable classroom challenges. The Girl From the Red Rose Motel is an authentic portrayal of life in a high school and beyond, as a young couple in love seeks their teacher’s support amid a surfeit of obstacles. This emotionally complex story is impossible to put down.” –Patti Callahan Henry, author of The Secret Book of Flora Lea
Utterly absorbing! Readers will root for plucky young Zell, and book clubs will have a lively discussion with the surprise ending.–Dianna Rostad, USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of You Belong Here Now.
Susan Zurenda writes with authority, heart, and warmth about the connections
we make, the impact of social and moral issues on individuals from all walks
of life, and how love often comes to us when we least expect it. The Girl
From the Red Rose Motel reveals humanity at its best and worst in this
engaging, skillfully crafted story of hope, compassion, and resilience.–Donna Everhart, author of The Saints of Swallow Hill and The Education of
Dixie Dupree
Compelling, timely, and full of heart, The Girl From the Red Rose Motel expertly weaves the stories of a concerned English teacher and two of her students—one living in a rundown motel and the other in a mansion—whose irrepressible love triumphs over social differences of status and wealth. You don’t want to miss this splendid Southern novel and its astonishing conclusion. –Karen White, author of The House on Prytania
Bloggers On Tour:
Sept.1st- 2 Many Books 2 Little Time https://instagram.com/2manybooks2littletime
Sept. 1st- A Court Of spines n pages https://instagram.com/acourtofspinesnpages
Sept 4th- Audrey Oaks Reads Everything https://instagram.com/audreyoaksreadseverything
Sept. 8th- Just Another Mother With Books https://instagram.com/just_another_mother_with_books
Sept. 12th- Books and Coffee MX https://instagram.com/booksandcoffeemx
Sept. 14th- Joannas Bookshelf https://instagram.com/joannasbookshelf
Sept. 17th-Plains Reading https://instagram.com/plains_reading
Sept. 17th- Books And Beabulls https://instagram.com/books_and_beabulls
Sept. 20th- American Lit Teacher https://instagram.com/americanlitteacher
Sept. 22nd- Nurse Bookie https://instagram.com/nurse_bookie
Sept. 26th- Sarahs Bookish Reviews https://instagram.com/sarahs.bookish.reviews
Sept. 27th- Rozier Reads and Wine https://instagram.com/rozierreadsandwine
Sept. 29th- CMT Loves Wine and Books https://instagram.com/cmtloveswineandbooks
Sept. 29th- Books Love And Understanding https://instagram.com/booksloveandunderstanding
Sept. 30th- Subakka Bookstuff https://instagram.com/subakka.bookstuff
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