Excerpt & Giveaway: Love Me, Love Me Not by S.M. Koz

Love Me, Love Me Not
S.M. Koz
Published by: Swoon Reads
Publication date: June 19th 2018
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult

Family, abandonment, and forbidden romance are at the core of SM Koz’s powerful and emotionally charged novel about a teen who falls for her foster brother.
When Hailey Brown is removed from her home and put into foster care, all she wants is a safe, comfortable place where she can finish school and move on with her life. It’s not easy adjusting to a new school and a new life, but Mr. and Mrs. Campbell and their teenage son, Brad, welcome Hailey with open arms.
As Hailey begins to adjust to her new life, she and Brad grow closer. For the first time, Hailey feels like she might have a real shot at a future. Soon, however, Hailey realizes her relationship with Brad has crossed the line from friendship into something more. But being with Brad would mean giving up the perfect life that Hailey has waited so long to have.
Can Hailey and Brad resist the feelings that are developing between them—or will they risk it all to be together?
Chosen by readers like you for Macmillan’s young adult imprint Swoon Reads, SM Koz delivers a powerful debut about the ups and downs of being a foster child.

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EXCERPT:

“Hey, I answered your personal question! I just told you all about my experience with girls.”
“Kissing is all your experience?”
He shrugs and gives me another grin, which brings me right back to the original question I had for him. “You mean . . . ?”
“Spit it out, Hailey,” he says with a smile, leaning back in his chair with his arms behind his head. “What do you want to know?”
I lean forward on my elbows, getting the best view of his face I’ve had since we met. He’s got a faint scar under his left eye. It runs all the way to his nose and makes him look kind of rugged, like someone who could just as easily survive in the wilderness as in his fancy house.
“You’re a . . . a . . . ?” I whisper, still not able to say the word.
“A football player? Yes.”
“No, a . . .”
“Math nerd? Yes.”
“No—wait, really? You’re a math nerd?”
“Yes, why? Need help?”
“Maybe. With geometry.”
“Okay. It’s settled. Your foster brother is a math nerd who will tutor you.”
I roll my eyes and cross my arms. “Don’t make me say it.”
“Why?”
“I don’t have conversations like this, especially with guys I just met and whose houses I live in.”
“Then you’ll never know.”
“We both know what I’m talking about. Yes or no?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Am I a cat person or a dog person?” He grins. “A little of both, actually.”
I throw up my arms. Why is he being so difficult about this? “Fine,” I huff. “I don’t care.”
“But you do,” he says, pointing his spoon at me.
“I only care because you’re a walking contradiction.”
“What do you mean?” he asks, lowering his spoon and focusing on me.
“Rich, but generous. Smart, but popular. Friendly, but picky. Hot, but not a player.”
“Did you just call me hot?” he asks, lowering his elbows on the table and leaning closer. His eyes twinkle, and his dimple has never been bigger as he smiles at me, clearly enjoying my momentarily lapse in judgment.
I roll my eyes. “That’s what girls at school were saying, not me,” I lie as my cheeks heat up yet again.
“You don’t think I’m hot?”
“I’ve kind of had a lot on my mind lately. No time to really think about the hotness level of my foster brother,” I say, trying to play it cool.
He grins again and says, “I’m not rich. My parents are.”
“Same thing,” I reply with a wave of my hand.
“So, you’re not a virgin?” he asks, laying the word out there since I obviously can’t.
My reaction is immediate. My already pink cheeks darken to crimson, and I lower my eyes to the tabletop, too embarrassed to even look at him.
“Your decision?” he asks.
“What?” I say, momentarily meeting his eyes before glancing down again. “Of course it was my decision. He’s my boyfriend. I . . . love him.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really,” I say quietly, focusing back on the family that is now mopping up the pool of ice cream on the table.
“Okay. Just remember, if I ever need to kick his ass, I’m happy to.” I glance back to him. He’s smiling, but his eyes are as intense as they were in the weight room this morning. It’s almost like he wants me to ask him to do it.
Did Adam tell him what happened at the game? Does he know Chase is the one who slashed his tires? I have a feeling a meeting between the two of them would not end well, which is all the more reason to keep Chase happy.

Author Bio:
SM KOZ is a medical writer from North Carolina, where she lives with her husband, two sons, and numerous pets. She has a BS in Biology from Duke University and a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from North Carolina State University. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys reading, photographing nature and her family, gardening, travelling, and attempting, usually unsuccessfully, to decorate birthday cakes. Love Me, Love Me Not is her first traditionally published novel.

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