Forty Words for Love

Saeed, Aisha

Trade Paperback, 304 pages

Now in paperback, from New York Times bestselling author Aisha Saeed comes a luminous young adult novel about two teen protagonists who grow from friends to something more in the aftermath of a tragedy in their magical town.

Moonlight Bay is a magical place—or it once was. After a tragic death mars the town, the pink and lavender waters in the bay turn gray, and the forest that was a refuge for newcomers becomes a scourge to the townspeople. Almost overnight, the entire town seems to become devoid of life and energy. The tourists stop coming. And the people in the town are struggling. This includes the two teens at the heart of our story: Yasmine and Raf. Yas is a child of the town, and her parents are trying and failing to make ends meet. Raf is an immigrant, a child of Willow Forest. The forest of Moonlight Bay was where people from Raf's community relocated when their home was destroyed. Except Moonlight Bay is no longer a welcoming refuge, and tensions between the townspeople and Raf's people are growing.

Yas and Raf have been friends since he first arrived, nearly ten years ago. As they grew older, their friendship blossomed. Not that they would ever act on these feelings. The forest elders have long warned that falling in love with “outsiders” will lead to devastating consequences for anyone from Willow Forest. But is this actually true? Can Yas and Raf find a way to be together despite it all?