You Say It First

Written by Katie Cotugno

Narrated by Jorjeana Marie and Kirby Heyborne

An addictive, irresistible YA novel about two teens from different worlds who fall for each other after a voter registration call turns into a long-distance romance—from Katie Cotugno, the New York Times bestselling author of 99 Days. Perfect for fans of Mary H.K. Choi, Robin Benway, and Nicola Yoon.

One conversation can change everything.

Meg has her entire life set up perfectly: she and her best friend, Emily, plan to head to Cornell together in the fall, and she works at a voter registration call center in her Philadelphia suburb. But everything changes when one of those calls connects her to a stranger from small-town Ohio.

Colby is stuck in a rut, reeling from a family tragedy and working a dead-end job. The last thing he has time for is some privileged rich girl preaching the sanctity of the political process. So he says the worst thing he can think of and hangs up.

But things don’t end there.…

That night on the phone winds up being the first in a series of candid, sometimes heated, always surprising conversations that lead to a long-distance friendship and then—slowly—to something more. Across state lines and phone lines, Meg and Colby form a once-in-a-lifetime connection. But in the end, are they just too different to make it work?

You Say It First is a propulsive, layered novel about how sometimes the person who has the least in common with us can be the one who changes us most.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Jun 16, 2020
• ISBN: 9780063003255

Katie Cotugno

Katie Cotugno is the New York Times-bestselling author of messy, complicated, feminist love stories. She studied Writing, Literature and Publishing at Emerson College and received her MFA in Fiction at Lesley University. Katie is a Pushcart Prize nominee whose work has appeared in The Iowa Review, The Mississippi Review, and Argestes, among others. The great loves of her life include child's pose, her little sister, and mozzarella and honey sandwiches. She lives in Boston with her husband, Tom, and her dog, Avon.

Reviews for You Say It First

[katiekrug · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

My tolerance level for YA books is pretty low. They have to be something special to not annoy me. I wouldn't say this one was special, but it didn't annoy me as much as I initially feared. Yes, there is some angst and too much back-and-forth, will-they-won't-they nonsense, but it also had some important things to say about being true to one's self; the effects of death, divorce, and alcoholism on families; and class differences and assumptions.

3.5 stars

[kimmeyer-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Politically passionate 18 year old Meg meets a jaded 18 year old Colby through her job calling strangers to encourage voter registration. They're both dealing with family issues and decisions about their next steps and their problems are totally believable. This is YA so of course they develop a relationship, and you'll love their banter about the things that matter to them.

[sennebec · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I buy a lot of books. Many come and I give them a quick look, planning to read them later. Others, I open, put the world on hold and dive in. This is one of those books. Meg and Colby have almost nothing in common...Until they start talking on the phone. Their meeting was one of those magical by chance things. She, calling from her job as a volunteer on a voter registration project, he, picking up the phone and reacting when she asks to speak to his dad, dead by suicide nearly a year before.
That could easily have been the end of their interaction, but her pushiness, coupled with his snark in response, ignites one of those sparks everyone hopes for in life. What ensues is rough, uneven and almost gets extinguished numerous times, but perseveres until both of them are jolted out of their ruts and toward each other. A very satisfying story and a book that met the expectation i had when I opened the cover.