Sarah Tregay
Author of Love & Leftovers
About the Author
Image credit: Sarah Tregay, Author
Works by Sarah Tregay
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Sarah Tregay
- Legal name
- Sarah Beth Tregay
- Other names
- Sarah B. Tregay
- Gender
- female
- Education
- Rochester Institute of Technology, BFA, MFA
- Short biography
- Raised without television, I started writing my own middle grade novels after I had read all of the ones in the library. I later discovered YA books, but never did make it to the adult section. When I'm not jotting down poems at stoplights, I can be found hanging out with my "little sister" from Big Brothers Big Sisters or stressing over performance classes at a model horse show.
I have both a Bachelors and Masters of Fine Art in graphic design, and my obsession with typography and layout naturally translates into formatting poetry on the page.
I live in Eagle, Idaho with my husband, two Boston Terriers, and an appaloosa named Mr. Pots. - Places of residence
- Eagle, Idaho, USA
- Map Location
- USA
Members
Reviews
Whilst I enjoyed the actual writing in "Love and Leftovers", I found it difficult to connect with the main character. The story was told through the poems fifteen-year-old Marcie wrote in her notebook dealing with her loneliness since moving, her gay father, her mother's depression since the divorce and her longing for love and affection.
Unfortunately, I didn't think Marcie was a good protagonist and she frustrated me with the bad choices she made, the main one being that she cheated on her show more boyfriend. She was also selfish, annoying and she lied constantly. Most of the story focused on her self=pity and guilt, and wondering why her friends (known as the leftovers) no longer liked her. Duh! By the halfway mark, I didn't like her either.
Linus, on the other hand, was a sweetheart, and far too good for Macie. I loved the swoon-worthy songs he wrote her and his interactions with his little niece were touching and extremely cute. Basically, he was the perfect boyfriend - kind, forgiving and adorable. It was just a shame his girlfriend was nowhere near as nice.
"Love and Leftovers" was a quick read and I like most of the characters except for Marcie who spoilt the story. show less
Unfortunately, I didn't think Marcie was a good protagonist and she frustrated me with the bad choices she made, the main one being that she cheated on her show more boyfriend. She was also selfish, annoying and she lied constantly. Most of the story focused on her self=pity and guilt, and wondering why her friends (known as the leftovers) no longer liked her. Duh! By the halfway mark, I didn't like her either.
Linus, on the other hand, was a sweetheart, and far too good for Macie. I loved the swoon-worthy songs he wrote her and his interactions with his little niece were touching and extremely cute. Basically, he was the perfect boyfriend - kind, forgiving and adorable. It was just a shame his girlfriend was nowhere near as nice.
"Love and Leftovers" was a quick read and I like most of the characters except for Marcie who spoilt the story. show less
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales
Quick & Dirty: An excellent story about a teenage boy who is in love with his straight best friend.
Opening Sentence: “Nah,” I say about the brunette at the next table.
The Review:
Fan Art is unbelievably adorable and given the recent announcement in America, this is the perfect time for my review. Without sounding politically incorrect, this is the first book, let alone love story, I’ve read from a gay guy’s perspective. There’s probably plenty of show more them out there but because this was my first it’s set a very high benchmark for future books on the same topic. In recent years most YA books incorporate a gay character, usually the best friend, so he (it’s hardly ever a lesbian) is usually side lined. Reading the story from a gay teenage boy who is ‘in the closet’ was a unique experience.
The author doesn’t use the stereotypical version of being gay: overly feminine, very organised / super smart, excellent fashion taste and lots of female friends. Jamie isn’t feminine, squirms when girls come near him and his best, and only, friend is Mason.
“Oh,” she says, suddenly interested in the menu. “Sorry, I just thought we had something in common. I can totally relate, you know?”
This is why I don’t date girls. They’re weird. They talk about everything and assume you want to too. I don’t get it. It’s as if their bras are filled with words.
Jamie’s trepidation in coming out, more importantly, in coming out to his best friend came across so clearly that I felt Jamie’s emotions as my own. His confusion, the hurt he felt when seeing Bahti and Mason together, and the emotions the graphic art brought out were palpable.
Eden squeezes my hand back and says, “Sometimes I wish things weren’t so complex.”
“Like, so I wouldn’t have to come out? Yeah?”
“Like, if people didn’t care, if love was love.”
“Love is love,” I say, more to myself than to Eden, as I scan the room for Mason.
Although we think that our society has become more open minded and people are more accepting of our differences, this book highlights that we have a long way to go. The book isn’t just about Jamie’s dilemma of falling in love with his ‘straight’ best friend, it looks at other characters facing problems because of their sexual orientation. Eden, like Jamie, had come out to her family but not at school. Unlike Jamie’s supportive mother, Eden’s parents are trying to change her mind into becoming straight by encouraging her focus on religion. It pains me to think how others can judge someone else’s feelings and I hope that more people read this book to increase awareness and obviously because this is a fantastically awesome read!
Notable Scene:
No. No, no. No.
I did not just do that. I can’t believe I just did that! Mason and I have been friends since third grade, and I have never looked at him like that. Other guys, yeah, but not him. It should be in the Bible. Thou shalt not check out thy best friend.
I wait a minute to catch my breath and the last shred of my sanity before I follow Mason into the locker room. I head for the sinks and splash water onto my face in an attempt to straighten out my thoughts. I’m okay with my bent thoughts-I have them all the time-but checking out Mason? That’s going too far. He’s my best friend. And everyone knows best friend crushes are the worst-even guy-girl friend crushes-drama, angst, broken hearts, you name it. It’s bad-real bad. And straight-guy-gay-guy friend crushes? I don’t even want to think about that apocalypse.
FTC Advisory: Katherine Tegen Books/HarperTeen provided me with a copy of Fan Art. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. show less
Quick & Dirty: An excellent story about a teenage boy who is in love with his straight best friend.
Opening Sentence: “Nah,” I say about the brunette at the next table.
The Review:
Fan Art is unbelievably adorable and given the recent announcement in America, this is the perfect time for my review. Without sounding politically incorrect, this is the first book, let alone love story, I’ve read from a gay guy’s perspective. There’s probably plenty of show more them out there but because this was my first it’s set a very high benchmark for future books on the same topic. In recent years most YA books incorporate a gay character, usually the best friend, so he (it’s hardly ever a lesbian) is usually side lined. Reading the story from a gay teenage boy who is ‘in the closet’ was a unique experience.
The author doesn’t use the stereotypical version of being gay: overly feminine, very organised / super smart, excellent fashion taste and lots of female friends. Jamie isn’t feminine, squirms when girls come near him and his best, and only, friend is Mason.
“Oh,” she says, suddenly interested in the menu. “Sorry, I just thought we had something in common. I can totally relate, you know?”
This is why I don’t date girls. They’re weird. They talk about everything and assume you want to too. I don’t get it. It’s as if their bras are filled with words.
Jamie’s trepidation in coming out, more importantly, in coming out to his best friend came across so clearly that I felt Jamie’s emotions as my own. His confusion, the hurt he felt when seeing Bahti and Mason together, and the emotions the graphic art brought out were palpable.
Eden squeezes my hand back and says, “Sometimes I wish things weren’t so complex.”
“Like, so I wouldn’t have to come out? Yeah?”
“Like, if people didn’t care, if love was love.”
“Love is love,” I say, more to myself than to Eden, as I scan the room for Mason.
Although we think that our society has become more open minded and people are more accepting of our differences, this book highlights that we have a long way to go. The book isn’t just about Jamie’s dilemma of falling in love with his ‘straight’ best friend, it looks at other characters facing problems because of their sexual orientation. Eden, like Jamie, had come out to her family but not at school. Unlike Jamie’s supportive mother, Eden’s parents are trying to change her mind into becoming straight by encouraging her focus on religion. It pains me to think how others can judge someone else’s feelings and I hope that more people read this book to increase awareness and obviously because this is a fantastically awesome read!
Notable Scene:
No. No, no. No.
I did not just do that. I can’t believe I just did that! Mason and I have been friends since third grade, and I have never looked at him like that. Other guys, yeah, but not him. It should be in the Bible. Thou shalt not check out thy best friend.
I wait a minute to catch my breath and the last shred of my sanity before I follow Mason into the locker room. I head for the sinks and splash water onto my face in an attempt to straighten out my thoughts. I’m okay with my bent thoughts-I have them all the time-but checking out Mason? That’s going too far. He’s my best friend. And everyone knows best friend crushes are the worst-even guy-girl friend crushes-drama, angst, broken hearts, you name it. It’s bad-real bad. And straight-guy-gay-guy friend crushes? I don’t even want to think about that apocalypse.
FTC Advisory: Katherine Tegen Books/HarperTeen provided me with a copy of Fan Art. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. show less
Review first published on fefferbooks.com.
If you’re from Boise, Idaho, you need to read this book.
If you’re not from Boise, I still think you might need to read it.
Love and Leftovers is not quite like anything I’ve ever read before: a novel written in verse. No, no! Don’t go away! I promise it’s not as weird/boring/intimidating as it sounds. More on that in a minute.
Not at all a book of poetry, instead, Love and Leftovers is a coming-of-age story about Marcie: a Boise girl who’s show more ripped from her home when Mom decides it’s time to go on “vacation” in New Hampshire…and stay there. Marcie’s mom is falling apart, her parent’s marriage is clearly ending, and she misses her friends. She’s about to start a new school year without having met anyone, really, and her home life is kind of a wreck. The fun is in watching Marcie come into her own in New Hampshire, and find her way with her family and friends.
I’d not yet come across anything like Love and Leftovers, style-wise. The majority of the book is written in free verse, which means the poems don’t really rhyme or stick to a particular meter. This helps things along immensely–the idea of reading a book in rigid poetry form was really off-putting for me. Instead, L&L flows along without a lot of self-consciousness about itself. The story is told from Marcie’s point of view, and each page or two is a separate poem from her journal about what’s going on in her life. It’s really clever actually. But I found that the writing style didn’t really draw attention to itself, once I got going–I just found myself reading a story, like any other book. The brilliance of it, though, is that the verse style cuts right to the heart of each plot point and emotion. There’s just simply no room to say anything that’s not pivotal when you’re only writing 80 words per page. (Trust me, as a writer, that’s much more difficult than it sounds.)
There were a couple of things in this book that weren’t dead-on for me: I would have liked more J.D., frankly, and I wasn’t really sure what I thought of Linus and the way things wrapped with him. I understood Marcie’s choices, but I’m not so 100% behind Linus’ explanations for some of his behavior. There’s a good deal of sexuality in this book, too. Lots of frank discussion about the consequences, as well, and the mixed-up emotions that can be involved in it, but it’s not pulling very many punches. It’s not explicit, but the details it does share are extremely realistic. In some ways, it was cringe-worthy because the writing took me back so completely to some of my own experiences.
Speaking of which OMGOSH A BOOK SET IN BOISE! Author Sarah Tregay lives in the Boise area, and it’s so strange/awesome/mind-blowingly weird to see places I go all the time set in a novel. I know east-coasters have this experience constantly, and no big deal, but seriously–nothing is set in Boise, so it’s kind of amazing. The setting, alone, made this a really fun read for me.
All in all, the book was well-done, but I had a couple of reservations. I would definitely read another book by Sarah Tregay, though, and I’m so excited to have a real, live YA author here by me!
3.5 stars. Some language, some teen sexuality. I enjoyed it! show less
If you’re from Boise, Idaho, you need to read this book.
If you’re not from Boise, I still think you might need to read it.
Love and Leftovers is not quite like anything I’ve ever read before: a novel written in verse. No, no! Don’t go away! I promise it’s not as weird/boring/intimidating as it sounds. More on that in a minute.
Not at all a book of poetry, instead, Love and Leftovers is a coming-of-age story about Marcie: a Boise girl who’s show more ripped from her home when Mom decides it’s time to go on “vacation” in New Hampshire…and stay there. Marcie’s mom is falling apart, her parent’s marriage is clearly ending, and she misses her friends. She’s about to start a new school year without having met anyone, really, and her home life is kind of a wreck. The fun is in watching Marcie come into her own in New Hampshire, and find her way with her family and friends.
I’d not yet come across anything like Love and Leftovers, style-wise. The majority of the book is written in free verse, which means the poems don’t really rhyme or stick to a particular meter. This helps things along immensely–the idea of reading a book in rigid poetry form was really off-putting for me. Instead, L&L flows along without a lot of self-consciousness about itself. The story is told from Marcie’s point of view, and each page or two is a separate poem from her journal about what’s going on in her life. It’s really clever actually. But I found that the writing style didn’t really draw attention to itself, once I got going–I just found myself reading a story, like any other book. The brilliance of it, though, is that the verse style cuts right to the heart of each plot point and emotion. There’s just simply no room to say anything that’s not pivotal when you’re only writing 80 words per page. (Trust me, as a writer, that’s much more difficult than it sounds.)
There were a couple of things in this book that weren’t dead-on for me: I would have liked more J.D., frankly, and I wasn’t really sure what I thought of Linus and the way things wrapped with him. I understood Marcie’s choices, but I’m not so 100% behind Linus’ explanations for some of his behavior. There’s a good deal of sexuality in this book, too. Lots of frank discussion about the consequences, as well, and the mixed-up emotions that can be involved in it, but it’s not pulling very many punches. It’s not explicit, but the details it does share are extremely realistic. In some ways, it was cringe-worthy because the writing took me back so completely to some of my own experiences.
Speaking of which OMGOSH A BOOK SET IN BOISE! Author Sarah Tregay lives in the Boise area, and it’s so strange/awesome/mind-blowingly weird to see places I go all the time set in a novel. I know east-coasters have this experience constantly, and no big deal, but seriously–nothing is set in Boise, so it’s kind of amazing. The setting, alone, made this a really fun read for me.
All in all, the book was well-done, but I had a couple of reservations. I would definitely read another book by Sarah Tregay, though, and I’m so excited to have a real, live YA author here by me!
3.5 stars. Some language, some teen sexuality. I enjoyed it! show less
This is completely glorious. Beyond glorious. The characters were beautifully written, extremely dynamic, and, I felt, stayed well away from the stereotypes that seem to completely overwhelm queer young adult literature. It wasn't extremely unique, in the sense of the high school writing students telling the stories, but I felt like it dealt with a lot of things that I, personally, haven't seen handled well often in any book, let alone a young adult book, and I felt like Sarah Tregay did a show more very good job of dealing with friends and self and high school and morally vs ethically right in the text. I enjoyed every single thing about this novel and could not put it down this evening once I picked it up. show less
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- Members
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- #50,714
- Rating
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