Pink Polka Dot Books: FFBC: Welcome to the Club The Other F-Word by Natasha Friend & Giveaway

The Other F-Word

by Natasha Friend
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Release Date: March 7, 2017

Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult

Synopsis:

A fresh, humorous, and timely YA novel about two teens conceived via in vitro fertilization who go in search for answers about their donor.

Milo has two great moms, but he's never known what it's like to have a dad. When Milo's doctor suggests asking his biological father to undergo genetic testing to shed some light on Milo's extreme allergies, he realizes this is a golden opportunity to find the man he's always wondered about.

Hollis's mom Leigh hasn't been the same since her other mom, Pam, passed away seven years ago. But suddenly, Leigh seems happy—giddy, even—by the thought of reconnecting with Hollis's half-brother Milo. Hollis and Milo were conceived using the same sperm donor. They met once, years ago, before Pam died.

Now Milo has reached out to Hollis to help him find their donor. Along the way, they locate three other donor siblings, and they discover the true meaning of the other F-word: family.

Hello Natasha!! We are super excited to welcome you to the FFBC!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Favorite Book?

My favorite book is always the one I’m currently reading and can’t put down. Right now that book is THIS IS HOW IT ALWAYS IS by Laurie Frankel.

Favorite TV show?

It’s a toss-up between “Billions” and “House of Cards.”

Favorite book(s) growing up?

Oh, there were so many! All the Judy Blume books, all the Norma Klein books, THE OUTSIDERS by S.E. Hinton, GO ASK ALICE . . . I could go on and on. I spent most of my childhood with my nose in a book.

Name 3 fictional places you’d move to in a heartbeat?

Hogwarts. Narnia. Sweet Valley High.

Who is your favorite fictional boyfriend?

Ponyboy Curtis or Augustus Waters (if I were still 15.) Now? Coach Taylor from “Friday Night Lights.”

Favorite quote?

Jump and a net will appear.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Could you tell our Book Addicts a little bit about THE OTHER F-WORD?

THE OTHER F-WORD is the story of 14 year-old Hollis and 15 year-old Milo, two half siblings who only met once, seven years ago, on a seesaw in Brooklyn, and who suddenly reunite in a quest to find their sperm donor.

Is there a specific scene that you had the most fun writing? Or what parts were the most difficult?

It’s hard to share my favorite scene without giving away an important part of the plot, so let me just say that I loved dressing my characters in disguises (you’ll know when you get there). The hardest part to write was the ending because I wasn’t sure how far I wanted Hollis and Milo’s quest to take them.

If you had to pick one song to be the THEME SONG for The Other F-Word— which one would you pick?

“Ode to my Family” by the Cranberries.

I’m a big Harry Potter fan. Which houses would you sort your characters into?

Hollis: Ravenclaw. She’s not like the rest of the kids, and she’s got that clever but sarcastic edge. Milo: Gryffindor. He’s brave and vulnerable, the natural leader in the quest to find their donor. JJ: Hufflepuff. He’s loyal to a fault. He'd be the one sneaking into Ravenclaw’s common room in the middle of the night to serenade Hollis on the celesta. The nurse who wouldn’t let Hollis into Pam’s hospital room to say goodbye: Slytherin. Obviously.

What’s next for you?

I am on my third (and hopefully last) round of revisions for my eighth book. I’m still not sure what it’s going to be called, but it’s about a girl with alopecia areata, an autoimmune disorder that makes all her hair fall out. The seed for the story came from a letter I received from a reader several years ago, pouring out her heart to me about what it was like to be a bald teenage girl. I couldn’t stop thinking about that letter.

Thank you so much for talking with us Natasha!! I would totally go to Sweet Valley High if I could too!!

Natasha Friend is the award-winning author of Perfect, Lush, Bounce, For Keeps, My Life in Black and White, Where You'll Find Me, and The Other F-Word. When she isn’t writing, she is building forts and making chocolate-chip pancakes. Natasha lives on the Connecticut shoreline with her husband, three children, and dog, Beckett.