So Glad to Meet You
Author: Lisa Super
Publisher: Diversion Books
Release Date: July 31, 2018
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
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Seventeen-year-old Daphne Bowman, a bookish drama nerd in public school, might never have crossed paths with Oliver, the popular, outgoing mascot for his private school’s football team, but one event has bound them inextricably. Daphne’s older sister, Emily, and Oliver’s older brother, Jason, who were high school sweethearts, committed suicide together seven years earlier.
When Daphne uncovers Emily and Jason’s bucket list—a list comprised of their “Top Ten” places to visit before they die—she knows she has to tell someone. The one person who might actually get what she’s going through and who might not think it’s silly that she wants to complete the list, is also someone she’s never spoken to—Oliver Pagano. Throwing caution to the wind, Daphne sends Oliver a Facebook message that will come to change the course of both of their senior years—and maybe their entire lives.
Tackling grief with a wry voice and an unflinching eye, So Glad to Meet You tells the story of two people who, in searching for what they’ve lost, end up finding what never knew they needed—each other.
exclusive giveaway
Top Ten Influences for So Glad To Meet You
A Top Ten list is the basis for plot of So Glad to Meet You, so it seems more than appropriate to do a Top Ten list for The Reading Life.
Thank you for having me, Anne! This list contains the movies, music, art, and TV that give me all the aches, joy, and butterflies in my stomach. I can only hope the readers of SGTMY experience some of the same. It’s all about the feels today.
(Of course! It’s a pleasure to have you here too.)
1. “Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect,” by The Decemberists
This song. It just hollows me out. It makes my whole body hurt, in a good way.
1. ELEANOR & PARK by Rainbow Rowell
This one is a bit of a cheat. I didn’t read Eleanor & Park until after I’d finished the first draft of SGTMY. When I finished I thought, This is what I’m trying to do.
2. HIS GIRL FRIDAY
While the dialogue in SGTMY isn’t lightning-fast like the film HGF, there’s lots of (what I hope is received as) witty banter. My goal was to have the same undeniable chemistry in conversations between Daphne and Oliver as between Hildy and Walter.
4. New Adventures in Hi-Fi, album by R.E.M.
Excellent driving or road trip music. And the last track is a love song to LA, much like SGTMY is a love letter to LA.
5. Sonke
Sonke is a street artist in Athens, Greece. I want everything I write to feel like this. It’s a hug from a concrete wall.
6. AWKWARD.
I loved this TV show, especially the first two seasons. The pilot is one of my favorite pilots of all time. All the female characters are complex and well-developed, and the show brims with sex positivity. Oh, yeah, and it’s hilarious.
7. Elliott Smith
Ellott Smith’s music is featured in SGTMY. The title comes from his song, “Angeles,” which is a bitter letter to L.A. One of my other favorite Elliott Smith songs is his sparse, heartbreaking cover of Big Star’s “13.”
8. AMELIE
This movie is my heart. If you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor.
9. Alphonse Mucha
Mucha’s distinct style graced many advertisements at the turn of the twentieth century. His work has an ethereal quality, but it’s also full of solid, bold lines. I love the contrast.
10. Details, album by Frou Frou
This list is all sentimental favorites, but I will always associate this album with falling in love with my husband. The fizzy songs go down like cream soda.
BONUS: This video uses footage from the film ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (at the wrong aspect ratio, unfortunately), which could’ve easily been on this list, too.
About the author
Lisa Super is a brunch enthusiast based in Los Angeles. She’s worked on a number of TV shows ranging from pop culture phenomenons (Flavor of Love) to traumedy gold (One Mississippi). While every day in LA is an adventure, traveling with her husband across the globe is her favorite hobby. SO GLAD TO MEET YOU is her first novel.