by Holly Smale
Curious, I pause outside the cinema room. The door is ajar, so I can get close enough to see a film playing and the backs of two heads next to each other on the sofa.
‘Clearly an oddball,’ Ben laughs, elbowing my sister playfully. ‘You were at school for less than three hours. I’m pretty sure love means introducing yourself in person, you know, face to face? Who even gave them your address? Also, your favourite flower’s the poppy so fail.’
‘Pffff.’ She sighs. ‘What do you know?’
‘More than this bozo.’
‘Bozo? Who even says bozo? What are you, a hundred years old?’
‘Sure. Whatever. They got it wrong. That’s all I’m saying.’ Ben snorts. ‘Yellow roses. Lame.’
There’s a short silence, then suddenly Hope turns to him.
‘Ben, are you jealous?’
‘Umm, no.’
‘You are! You’re jealous of my secret admirer! And if you’re jealous then … that means –’ I can practically hear my little sister’s cogs whirring – ‘you must like me.’ A pause. ‘Ben-jamin-o, do you like me? You totally like me, don’t you! Do you have a crush on me? Oh, you have such a huge, massive crush on me!’
The entire back of Ben’s neck has gone bright red.
About time, Po. Took you long enough.
Smiling, I creep away.
As quietly as I can, I swing open the front door, slip my headphones on and stand calmly on the front step. There’s nobody outside. No limousines waiting, no paparazzi, no ex-boyfriends, no Genevieve, no speeches to be made. Just a whole world full of fresh air and opportunities, ready to be cracked wide apart.
Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I tap on every single one of my social-media accounts and delete them all.
Laters, Faith Valentine.
Then I turn my music to full volume, stretch outwards, tilt my face towards the sunshine and breathe in.
Breathe out.
Breathe in, for luck and also for staying alive.
My phone pings.
Yo yo! Rehearsals going super well. If you get time off, wanna fly over here? Also, know anyone who might want to babysit my flat? Somebody has to look after my parties while I’m not there S xxx
Smiling, I text back:
Yes and yes. I can probably think of someone xx
Laughing – feeling ever so slightly silly – I crouch down on the front door step and put my hands over my head.
Make a circle.
And I don’t see Mercy in the garden, kicking the hell out of a tree. I don’t see her pelting it with her fists and screaming. Because you know what? That’s her story to tell.
I look to the sky and I blow my sisters a kiss. Then I bounce on my tiptoes on the edge of a world that is bright and open and waiting for me.
And I run.
Acknowledgements
This is my tenth book.
That anyone has allowed me to write so many stories is frankly amazing; that I’ve been encouraged, motivated and supported to keep going, even more so.
My agent, Kate Shaw, has been with me for a decade (another anniversary!). Without her vision and fierce championing, I’d still be a terrible waitress. For that, I – and any potential customers I would have had – am beyond grateful. Likewise, my genius editor Lizzie Clifford has been with me from the start: from the little dinosaur GEEK biscuits she hand-made on our first meeting, right the way through every idea and nuance and wobble. To both of them I owe everything, and these words are just a drop in a giant bucket of love and thanks.
Without a brilliant team of talent, passion and hard work a book remains in the author’s head (or in a box under the bed). I have been incredibly fortunate to have made a home with HarperCollins. Ann-Janine Murtagh, Rachel Denwood, Nick Lake, Samantha Stewart, Michelle Misra, Yasmin Morrissey, Jess Dean, Lowri Ribbons, Jane Tait, Mary O’Riordan, Elorine Grant, David McDougall, Elisa Offord, Beth Maher, Alex Cowan, Geraldine Stroud, Jo-Anna Parkinson, Louise Sheridan, Sam White, Robert Smith, Carla Alonzi, Sarah Mitchell, Aisling Smith, working with you all has been a joy and an honour. And to Jessie Ford, thank you for yet another utterly beautiful illustrated cover.
Ten books in, and I fear the novelty of being mentioned in acknowledgments has somewhat worn off for my nearest and dearest. But Mum, Dad, Tara, Autumn, Grandad – all this is because of, and for, you. To the rest of my enormous family – Caro, Louise, Adrien, Vincent, Vero, Charlie, Simon, Ellen, Freya, Robin, Lorraine, Romayne, Dixie, Grandma, Judith – thank you for all the love, the hugs and for reading this far.
A big thanks is due to my dear friend Emma Jane Unsworth, who gave me a role in her brilliant film Animals and thus allowed me to experience a real movie set for myself (and confirm that I, like Faith, have zero acting talent). Also to Maya, Alice, Ben, Steve, Steven, Lucy, Nina and Helen: thanks for keeping me sane, happy and frequently dehydrated this year. It made it all so much more fun.
Finally, thank you to my readers. Without you, these stories wouldn’t exist – I’d just be talking to myself (which I do, but not for money). Your kind words, your support, your affection and your loyalty make this the best career in the world.
So keep reading, and I promise I’ll keep writing.
Here’s to another ten.
Read the first book in the hilarious, heart-warming Valentines series!
The Valentine sisters – Hope, Faith and Mercy – have everything: fame, success, money and beauty. But what Hope wants most of all is love, and it doesn’t matter how far she has to go to find it.
Except real life isn’t like the movies. Unless of course you’re a Valentine …
Click on the cover to read more.
Loved the Valentines? Read Holly Smale’s bestselling, award-winning Geek Girl series …
Harriet Manners knows a lot of things.
• Cats have 32 muscles in each ear
• Bluebirds can’t see the colour blue
• The average person laughs 15 times per day
• Peanuts are an ingredient in dynamite
But she doesn’t know why nobody at school seems to like her. So when she’s offered the chance to reinvent herself, Harriet grabs it. Can she transform from geek to chic?
Click on the cover to read more.
The geek is back!
Harriet Manners also knows:
• Humans have 70,000 thoughts per day
• Caterpillars have four thousand muscles
• The average person eats a ton of food a year
• Being a Geek + Model = a whole new set of graffiti on your belongings
But clearly she knows nothing about boys. And, on a whirlwind modelling trip to Tokyo, Harriet would trade in everything she’s ever learnt for just the faintest idea of what she’s supposed to do next …
Click on the cover to read more.
Geek girl goes Stateside …
Harriet Manners knows a lot of facts:
• New York is the most populous city in the United States
• Its official motto is ‘Ever Upward’
• 27% of Americans believe we never landed on the moon
But she has no idea about modelling Stateside. Or, even more importantly, what to do when the big romantic gestures aren’t coming from her boyfriend …
Click on the cover to read more.
The original geek returns …
Harriet Manners has high hopes for the new school year: she’s a Sixth Former now, and things are going to be different. But with Nat busy falling in love at college and Toby preoccupied with a top-secret project, Harriet soon discovers that’s not necessarily a good thing …
Click on the cover to read more.
Harriet Manners knows almost every fact there is:
• Fourteen squirrels were once detained as spies
• Snakes and Ladders and Chess were both invented in the same country
• Astronauts’ hearts become rounder in space
And, for once, Harriet knows exactly how her l
ife should go. She’s got it ALL planned out. So when love is in the air, Harriet is determined to Make Things Happen! If only everyone else would stick to the script …
Has GEEK GIRL overstepped the mark, and is following the rules going to break hearts all over again?
Click on the cover to read more.
Don’t miss the final book in the Geek Girl series!
My name is Harriet Manners and I’ll be a geek forever …
Harriet Manners knows almost every fact there is …
• Modelling isn’t a sure-fire route to popularity.
• Neither is making endless lists.
• The people you love don’t expect you to transform into someone else.
• Statistically you are more likely to not meet your Australian ex-boyfriend in Australia than bump into him there.
So on the trip of a lifetime Down Under Harriet’s to-do lists are gone and it’s Nat’s time to shine! Yet with nearly-not-quite-boyfriend Jasper back home Harriet is completely unprepared to see supermodel ex, Nick. Is the fashion world about to turn ugly for GEEK GIRL?
It’s time for Harriet to face the future. Time to work out where her heart lies. To learn how to let go …
Click on the cover to read more.
HOLLY SMALE wanted to write from the age of five when she discovered that books didn’t grow on trees like apples. Her passion for stories led her on a number of adventures, including modelling, teaching children in Japan, PR and backpacking across dozens of countries around the world. She has a degree in English literature and an MA in Shakespeare from Bristol University.
The Valentines series is the much anticipated follow-up to the number-one, internationally bestselling Geek Girl series, which sold over 3 million copies in thirty languages and won the Teen and Young Adult category of the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize.
Far From Perfect is the second in a brand-new series that follows the famous Valentine sisters.
This is Faith’s story.
Follow Holly on Twitter and Instagram @holsmale.
Follow Geek Girl on Facebook/GeekGirlSeries.
Books by Holly Smale
The Valentines series in reading order:
HAPPY GIRL LUCKY
FAR FROM PERFECT
The Geek Girl series in reading order:
GEEK GIRL
MODEL MISFIT
PICTURE PERFECT
ALL THAT GLITTERS
HEAD OVER HEELS
FOREVER GEEK
Geek Girl novellas:
ALL WRAPPED UP
SUNNY SIDE UP
About the Publisher
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United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
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www.harpercollins.co.uk
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
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www.harpercollins.com
