It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for.

Are you ready? Are. You. READY?!

In case you’re new here, Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka make up one of YA’s fav power couples. Wibbroka, if you will. They’ve co-written the swoony Always Never Yours, the irresistible If I’m Being Honest, and now, the we-can’t-wait-to-read Time of Our Lives.

Not only do we have the new cover, BUT we have a Q&A with Emily and Austin for you to read below!

But first, the time has come. Are you ready for this cover?

YES? OKAY YAY

GORGEOUS amiright! But what’s this book about, you ask? 

Time of Our Lives is a reflective, romantic coming-of-age novel that explores life after high school–perfect for fans of Fangirl and Emergency Contact

A boy desperate to hold on, a girl ready to let go.

Fitz Holton waits in fear for the day his single mother’s early-onset Alzheimer’s starts stealing her memory. He’s vowed to stay close to home to care for her in the years to come–never mind the ridiculous college tour she’s forcing him on to visit schools where he knows he’ll never go. Juniper Ramirez is counting down the days until she can leave home, a home crowded with five younger siblings and zero privacy. Against the wishes of her tight-knit family, Juniper plans her own college tour of the East Coast with one goal: get out.

When Fitz and Juniper cross paths on their first college tour in Boston, they’re at odds from the moment they meet– while Juniper’s dying to start a new life apart for her family, Fitz faces the sacrifices he must make for his. Their relationship sparks a deep connection–in each other’s eyes, they glimpse alternate possibilities regarding the first big decision of their adult lives.

Time of Our Lives is a story of home and away, of the wonder and weight of memory, of outgrowing fears and growing into the future.

And now, for a little Q&A with the authors!

We are SQUEALING over here to know more about Time of Our Lives. Can you let us in on any secrets about the book?!

It’s about two teens whose paths keep crossing while they’re on college tours down the Eastern Seaboard. One is excited for college, the other isn’t—neither of them expect to meet someone who could complicate their lives and their futures. In true Wibbroka fashion, this book has our softest soft boy (Fitz loves words so much he carries a pocket dictionary with him) and a fiercely passionate girl named Juniper who won’t slow down for anyone or anything.

Obviously, there have been some very Shakespearean themes in Always Never Yours and If I’m Being Honest, but we actually heard a little rumor that THIS one is based on parts of your own high school love story? Is that true??

Time of Our Lives is a uniquely personal book for us. Not only are Juniper and Fitz’s feelings about college taken directly from our eighteen-year-old selves, but the idea for this book came from our experience as a young couple facing futures in different cities. We *officially* got together on October 31 (yes, our anniversary is Halloween) of our senior year, only months before applying to colleges we knew we were unlikely to attend together. When we took our respective college trips, the questions of how these places would change us as individuals and as a couple were sometimes hard to face. So, we’ve decided to face them together a decade later with the help of Juniper and Fitz.

How was writing this book different from writing the other two books?

The biggest change in this one is that it’s in two perspectives! That’s right, Austin finally got to bring his experience of being a guy into the prose. That being said, we didn’t divide up the perspectives between us, but crafting the book for two central main characters definitely took some adjusting.

Can you share just a lil teaser from the book? Pretty please?

Here’s a glimpse from one of our favorite scenes of the book. To give you some context, Juniper and Fitz have now run into each other a couple times to mixed success. Bored of the frat party they’ve each found themselves at, they head to the roof to get a better view of Providence, Rhode Island and the Brown campus.

It was her idea. While we sat on the rooftop, Juniper took the dictionary from where she’d put it down between us and flipped the book open. I turned to her, questioning. “Lissome,” she read, then let the word sit in the empty night. “I think that’s a good one,” she commented.

Then she dropped the book on my chest. “Your turn.”

We read each other our spontaneous favorites for I don’t know how long. Halcyon. Referring to times of idyllic happiness and tranquility. Bucolic. In a pleasant, often rural place. Propinquity. The property of being close to someone. I feel her shoulder edging nearer to mine, and whether it’s conscious or unconscious, it’s hard not to hope she’ll close the distance. Shoulders brushing through three layers of clothing is practically nothing, but it’s a nothing I really, really want.

Time of Our Lives © Austin Siegemund-Broka and Emily Wibberley

Can’t wait to read Time of Our Lives? Add it to your Goodreads shelf here!