Late to the Party
Written by Kelly Quindlen
Narrated by Piper Goodeve
4.5/5
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About this audiobook
From author Kelly Quindlen comes a poignant and deeply relatable story about friendship, self-acceptance, and what it means to be a Real Teenager. Late to the Party is an ode to late bloomers and wallflowers everywhere.
Seventeen is nothing like Codi Teller imagined.
She’s never crashed a party, never stayed out too late. She’s never even been kissed. And it’s not just because she’s gay. It’s because she and her two best friends, Maritza and JaKory, spend more time in her basement watching Netflix than engaging with the outside world.
So when Maritza and JaKory suggest crashing a party, Codi is highly skeptical. Those parties aren’t for kids like them. They’re for cool kids. Straight kids.
But then Codi stumbles upon one of those cool kids, Ricky, kissing another boy in the dark, and an unexpected friendship is formed. In return for never talking about that kiss, Ricky takes Codi under his wing and draws her into a wild summer filled with late nights, new experiences, and one really cute girl named Lydia. The only problem? Codi never tells Maritza or JaKory about any of it.
A Macmillan Audio production from Roaring Brook Press
Kelly Quindlen
Kelly Quindlen is the bestselling author of young adult LGBTQ novels. She initially pursued self-publishing with Her Name in the Sky, which sold more than 30,000 copies through word-of-mouth marketing in the queer community, before she pursued traditional publishing with Late to the Party and the IndieBound bestseller and Goodreads Choice Award nominee She Drives Me Crazy. Kelly graduated from Vanderbilt University with degrees in English Literature and American Studies. She taught middle school math for two years in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, before moving back to her hometown of Atlanta. She is on the leadership team of a non-profit for Catholic parents with LGBTQ children and is very passionate about the intersection of queerness and faith.
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Reviews for Late to the Party
138 ratings10 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It would have been a five star review if it wasn’t for that Chic-fil-A visit. Quindlen does a great job in conveying that doubt in one’s mind as we ponder on whether or not our feelings are reciprocated and the anxiousness of wondering if we should be the ones to take the next step.
2 people found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5AMAZING book! As someone who is part of the LGBTQ+ community, I think the author did it justice. We need more books like this!
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Oh, this was so good! ? It was chaotic but in a good way. This book perfectly highlights how messy teenage life can be, how messy friendships can be, or how scary it can be trying new things and figuring yourself out. Some of the characters can get annoying at times, but I loved the character development at the end! This story was real and cute, and really heartfelt. Also, this is so gay and I love it. I can't wait to read more of the author's works!
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5This book was dissatisfying for me. Everything felt really drawn out when actually not much happened and the stakes were so low. I wish there had been other stakes at play besides just the friendship/romance issues, like trying to get into the right college or the Totes & Goats shop being at risk of closing down or something. It was all-around *meh* for me. PLUS, the audiobook on here is glitching and I can’t even listen to the last 2 chapters (it cuts at like 3 minutes into Ch. 21), so I don’t even get to have the closure of the end. I wouldn’t recommend this book in particular unless you’re really that bored.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book was ✨amazing✨. This story made me feel so good and I really loved the plot. I totally recommend this. If you want a story about friendship and love, growing up and becoming a young adult, this is perfect for you. I love the fact that almost the entire book is about LGBTQ characters, how the story becomes more and more interesting until the end.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is a book about being a teenager, growing up, feeling like you're missing something in you life and understanding better yourself and your friends. This author's books are mostly like this, about maturing and coming of age. If you are looking for a completely romantic romcom this is nor really the book, it indeed has romance, but it's not the center of the whole thing. And yeah it's hella gay too
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The author takes some liberties in logic and there are a couple of “he did not just go there” moments, but his style overcomes any of that kind of criticism. Great job!. I want you to know, there is a competition happening right now until the end of May on the NovelStar app. I hope you can consider joining. You can also publish your stories there. just email our editors hardy@novelstar.top, joye@novelstar.top, or lena@novelstar.top.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Love it, but I fucking hate Maritza and would pretty much prefer if she would’ve stay out of the picture; Ricky is fucking awesome!!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A great book about growing up, learning to be true to your self, and trying new things. Its about friendship and love of other, but also love of one self. About claiming the room you need to be you, and understand that it is okay to be a multilayered person, that haveing more then one side to you don't make you fake or unreal. It is about taking chances and having hope that it will be okay, good, or even great.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I'd say that my more accurate rating of this book is a 4.5 that rounds to a 5. I very much enjoyed this book. The characters were frustrating at times, but in that way that is relatable and very human. In the end, it only added to the catharsis of them finally realizing their feelings and overcoming their struggles in the end. Piper Goodeve does a stellar job yet again at her narration (by the by, definitely check out Her Name in the sky if you liked her narration in this).
The only thing keeping me from giving it a solid five is that I felt the end was slightly abrupt. Despite this though, it still felt very much wrapped up and satisfying of a conclusion. All and all, I'd certainly recommend it to anyone looking for a touching, feel good coming-of-age story.