The Bones of You

Oliver Andrews is wholly focused on the final stages of his education at Cambridge University when a well meaning friend upends his world with a simple email attachment: a video from a U.S. morning show. The moment he watches the video of his one-time love Seth Larsen, now a Broadway star, Oliver must begin making a series of choices that could lead him back to love—or break his heart.

The Bones of You is full of laughter and tears, with a collection of irritable Hungarians, flirtatious Irishwomen and actors abusing Shakespeare coloring Oliver and Seth’s attempts at reconciliation.

TRADE REVIEWS:

Why you should read it: Thrilled and enthralled that describes my reaction to reading this wonderful debut novel by Laura Stone. Seth and Oliver are high school sweethearts separated by time and distance. In the five years since they were last together, Seth has gone on to become the darling of the New York stage and appeared on a national morning TV show. After seeing his appearance on TV, Oliver decides to go see Seth in his play and just ... watch. He isn't going to talk to Seth, just enjoy his friend s success from a seat in the theater. Fate has a different plan, and it leads to bit-by-bit heartbreak as Oliver is torn apart by past anguish and misery of what might have been. Just when you are tearing up over the turn of the story, something happens to bring a smile to your face and a bit of sunshine to the book. I couldn't put it down. Characters who appear at first to be formulaic turn out to be unique and special. A plot of lost love reunited is instead so much more. The characters are richly developed, even the secondary characters. I'm hoping to see another book that gives them their own stage and story development. By the time the book ended I was in love with the characters to the point I couldn t let them go. As many romance novels as I read, it surprised me that I couldn't predict the conclusion of the story of Seth and Oliver. It was difficult to pick up another book knowing Seth, Oliver, Moira and the others wouldn t be there. My own life was enriched by this story and these characters. Laura Stone is an author to remember and follow. I highly recommend The Bones of You as a beautifully written book and a story to enjoy. --USA Today

Their beautiful love story will bring plenty of laughter, and even a few tears, as these men grab hold of their rare second chance. It was appreciated that neither man was willing to give up his dreams because that wouldn't have felt true to the love they have shared since boarding school. --Romantic Times Magazine

Stone's sensitive debut reunites two lovers who were separated by both distance and expectations. Oliver Andrews is slaving away on his M.A. in Cambridge, Mass. When he opens an email from a friend back home in Atchison, Kan., he finds a video that delivers an emotional gut-punch. It shows Seth Larsen, Ollie's first and only love, singing on a nationally broadcast morning TV show in New York. The pair had broken up five years before when Ollie, encouraged by his father, decided against following Seth to New York. Seth felt betrayed: he wanted a career on the stage, and the distance from Boston to New York was too long. But Ollie was determined to pursue his own dream of becoming a social psychologist, even if that meant giving up on love. With the support of their friend Moira, Seth and Ollie decide to take another stab at building a life together. Stone plays the relationship with restraint, letting it unfold slowly and organically. --Publishers Weekly