Autofocus (26 page)

To Karen Chaplin, who pushed me to make this story more than I could have imagined. Thank you for your faith and encouragement. To the entire team at HarperCollins Childrens Books, including Olivia Swomley, Bethany Reis, Christina MacDonald, Kate Engbring, Olivia Russo, Kim VandeWater, and, of course, Rosemary Brosnan. You're all terrific, and I'm constantly amazed by the work you do.

To Michelle Andelman, thank you endlessly for helping me flesh out this story. I'm so happy I was able to have you on my side for so long. To Claire Anderson-Wheeler, thank you for championing the book from our first phone call. You're wonderful. And to the entire team at Regal Hoffman & Associates—thank you for your support.

To my original readers: Joe Chandler, who's quite honestly one of the best writers I know; Misty White, for helping me put Maude in the driver's seat; and Michelle Carroll, for an insane amount of support and love. To the many loves of my life: Megan Donnelly, who inspires me daily; Colure Caulfield, who I text probably too often; Shannon Calloway, who I can't text nearly enough; Katie Harding, my like-minded twin; and Gina Elia, my cousin whom I adore.

As always, to everyone at Alafaya Library. To Danielle King (for your patience with my craziness), Breanna Ramos
(for listening as I babble about ideas), and David Smith (for answering my probably too-personal research questions). Speaking of research, to Allison Miehl for answering all my high school questions and for friendship bracelets. To Anu Mathur for being a great sister and answering emails entitled “Treena's Indian-ness.” And to my O-Hall 3N friends—the skateboarding scene is for you.

To my amazing writer friends Jenny Torres Sanchez and Jessica Martinez—I couldn't have survived my debut year without you. I love our writer triangle. And to Jennifer Chen and Melissa Sarno for being agent sisters for life. And to the Fifteeners—thank you for a crazy-supportive debut year.

To all of my friends and family who read
TNWSY
—your support means the world to me. I'm seriously so lucky to have you. And to all the readers, writers, bloggers, booksellers, and, of course, librarians who supported my first book: thank you, thank you, thank you.

This book is about family, so of course to my wonderful parents, Paul and Tami Gibaldi, who also freaked out the first time I drove to Tallahassee alone. I love you. To Justin Gibaldi. How I have a brother who doesn't like to read is beyond me, but I'm still happy to have you. And to Jetta, still.

To Samir Mathur for being the most patient, supportive, wonderful husband. For taking over baby duty so I could write and edit. For everything and anything. And to Leila, my love, always.

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LAUREN GIBALDI
is a public librarian who's been, among other things, a magazine editor, high school English teacher, bookseller, and circus aerialist (seriously). She has a BA in literature and a master's in library and information studies. She lives in Orlando, Florida, with her husband and daughter.
The Night We Said Yes
was her first book for young adults. This is her second. Find her online at
www.laurengibaldi.com
or on Twitter @laurengibaldi.

Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at
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.

“Maude felt like someone I knew—a girl so easy to root for—and her story captured me completely.
Autofocus
hit all the right notes, leaving me satisfied and smiling.”

—TRISH DOLLER,
author of
Where the Stars Still Shine

“
Autofocus
is a beautifully told story about friendship, family, and finding yourself. My heart ached for Maude so much that I couldn't stop turning pages.”

—LAUREN MORRILL
,
author of
The Trouble with Destiny

“
Autofocus
is a beautifully written story that takes you on an emotional ride, touching on the complexities of adoptees and family, distance and friendship, first love and first heartbreak.”

—ERIC SMITH,
author of
Inked
and contributor to BookRiot

“Lauren Gibaldi so cleverly weaves the past and the present to tell an authentic, spontaneous story of friendship, romance, and all the gray areas in between. With the turn of each page, you'll be so glad you said yes to
The Night We Said Yes
!”

—JULIE MURPHY
,
New York Times
bestselling author of
Side Effects May Vary
and
Dumplin
'

“Irresistibly sweet and full of heart, Matt and Ella's romance charmed me twice.”

—JESSICA MARTINEZ,
author
of
Kiss Kill Vanish
and
The Vow

“You'll wish you could step into the pages and go along for the ride. Suspenseful, romantic, and just plain fun. Say yes to this book!”

—TARA ALTEBRANDO,
author of
The Best Night of Your (Pathetic) Life

“This is a story for anyone who's ever wanted to give first love a second chance.”

—MELISSA WALKER,
author of
Ashes to Ashes
and
Lovestruck Summer

“
The Night We Said Yes
captures the flutter and heartache of first love. This book is a first kiss and a first touch. It is a promise of a night filled with the thrill (and fear) of so many possibilities.”

—JENNY TORRES SANCHEZ,
author of
The Downside of Being Charlie
and
Death, Dickinson, and the Demented Life of Frenchie Garcia

“
The Night We Said Yes
is filled with brilliant insights about what it's like to be young and alive. You haven't met Lauren Gibaldi, but she already knows you.”

—DC PIERSON,
author of
Crap Kingdom
and
The Boy Who Couldn't Sleep and Never Had To

“Effectively captures intense, all-consuming teen attraction.”

—SLJ

“Gibaldi's special debut will make readers ruminate on first chances, first loves, and those big, life-altering decisions. Fun to read, and the love story embedded within—along with a boatload of awesome characters—will appeal to lovers of all genres.”

—ROMANTIC TIMES

“A story of friendship and romance, music and trespassing, and ultimately pursuing your own dream and your heart's desire. For fans of books like
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
.”

—
ALA
BOOKLIST

“Speaks to the power of friendship and the importance of nurturing relationships.”

—VOYA

“A light but meaningful summer romance.”

—KIRKUS REVIEWS

The Night We Said Yes

Matt's Story
(e-novella)

Autofocus

Cover photo of girl © 2016 by Michelle Gibson / Getty Images

Cover collection of photos © 2016 by Marta Syrko / Trevillion Images

Cover design by Kate J. Engbring

HarperTeen is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

AUTOFOCUS.
Copyright © 2016 by Lauren Gibaldi. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

www.epicreads.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Gibaldi, Lauren, author.

Title: Autofocus / Lauren Gibaldi.

Description: First edition. | New York : HarperTeen, 2016. | Summary: “A senior photography project gives Maude the perfect opportunity to search for more information about her birth mother—but she may not like what she finds”— Provided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2015046352 | ISBN 9780062302236 (hardback)

EPub Edition © May 2016 ISBN 9780062302250

Subjects: | CYAC: Adoption—Fiction. | Photography—Fiction. | Family secrets—Fiction. | Birth mothers—Fiction. | BISAC: JUVENILE FICTION / Love & Romance. | JUVENILE FICTION / Social Issues / Dating & Sex. | JUVENILE FICTION / Girls & Women.

Classification: LCC PZ7.1.G498 Au 2016 | DDC [Fic]—dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015046352

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FIRST EDITION