To celebrate the release of The Brightest Stars by Anna Todd, I have an excerpt to share with you and I have partnered with Anna Todd to bring you this awesome giveaway! So check out the excerpt below and be sure to enter to win the Anna Todd Collection!
P.S. did you know that Anna’s novel After is going to be made into a movie? I am so excited. I loved the book!
Karina, 2018
The wind whips around the coffee shop each time the old wooden door creaks open. It’s
unusually cold for September and I’m pretty sure it’s some kind of punishment from the
universe for agreeing to meet up with him, today of all days. What was I thinking?
I barely had time to put makeup over the swollen pockets under my eyes. And this outfit
I’m wearing—when was the last time it saw the wash? Again, what was I thinking?
Right now I’m thinking that my head aches and I’m not sure if I have any ibuprofen in my
purse. I’m also thinking that it was smart of me to choose the table closest to the door so I can
get away quickly if I need to. This place in the middle of Edgewood? Neutral and not the least
bit romantic. Another good choice. I’ve only been here a few times, but it’s my favorite coffee
house in Atlanta. The seating is pretty limited—just ten tables—so I guess they want to
encourage a quick turnaround. There are a couple of Instagram worthy features, like the
succulent wall and that clean black and white tile behind the baristas, but overall it’s quite
severe. Harsh gray and concrete everywhere. Loud blenders mixing kale and whatever fruit is
trendy at the moment.
There is only one creaky door: one way in, one way out. I look down at my phone and
wipe my palms on my black dress.
Will he hug me? Shake my hand?
I can’t imagine such a formal gesture. Not from him. Damn. I’m working myself up again
and he isn’t even here yet. For about the fourth time today, I can feel the panic bubbling just
below my chest and it dawns on me that every time I imagine our reunion I see him the way I
did the very first time I laid eyes on him. I have no idea which version of him I’ll get. I haven’t
seen him since last winter and I have no idea who he is anymore. And really, did I ever know?
Maybe I only ever knew a version of him—a bright and hollow form of the man I’m
waiting on now.
I suppose I could have avoided him for the rest of my life, but the thought of never
seeing him again seems worse than sitting here now. At least I can admit that. Here I am
warming my hands on a coffee cup, waiting for him to come through that that raspy door after
swearing to him, to myself, to anyone who would listen for the last few months that I would
never . . .
He’s not due for another five minutes, but if he’s anything like the man I remember,
he’ll strut in late with that scowl on his face.
When the door tears open it’s a woman who walks in. Her blond hair is a nest stuck to
the top of her tiny head and she’s holding a cell phone against her red cheek.
“I don’t give a shit, Howie. Get it done,” she snaps, pulling the phone away with a string
of curse words.
I hate Atlanta. The people here are all like her, tetchy and forever in a hurry. It wasn’t
always like this. Well, maybe it was; I wasn’t, though. But things change. I used to love this city,
especially downtown. The dining options are out of this world and for a foodie living in a small
town—well, that alone was reason enough to move here. There’s always something to do in
Atlanta and everything is open later than it is around Ft. Benning. But the biggest draw for me
at the time was that I wasn’t constantly reminded of military life. No camo everywhere you
look. No ACUs on the men and women waiting in line for the movies, at the gas station or
Dunkin Donuts. People speaking real words, not just acronyms. And plenty of non-military
haircuts to admire.
I loved Atlanta, but he changed that.
We changed that.
We.
That was the closest I was getting to admitting any blame in what went down.
To enter, fill out the rafflecopter below to win The Anna Todd Collection!
Binge-read Anna Todd! One (1) winner receives:
After and Before from the After series
Nothing More and Nothing Less
Plus standalones The Spring Girls and The Brightest Stars.
Giveaway open to US addresses only.
Prizing and samples provided by Anna Todd.
Note: Book Briefs Contest Policy applies. All of the prizes, terms and conditions of the giveaway should be contained in the rafflecopter below. No Purchase necessary to enter. Void where prohibited by law.
Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer
I loved the excerpt and of course want to know all!