2016 Most Anticipated - 26 Kisses

This book's cute premise immediately caught my interest. A girl decides to get over a break up by kissing 26 guys... one for each letter of the alphabet. It sounds fun, cute, and the kind of book that you'll read while enjoying some ice cream in the summer sunshine.

The Goodreads synopsis below should win you over. This book sounds adorable, irresistible and filled with the stuff of rom-com movie magic. Think of all the adorable meet-cutes that could happen!

Breaking up with her boyfriend is not how Veda planned on starting her summer. When Mark makes it clear that it’s over between them, Veda is heartbroken and humiliated—but, more importantly, she’s inspired. And so she sets out on the love quest of a lifetime: use the summer to forget about Mark, move on, and move up. All she has to do is kiss twenty-six boys with twenty-six different names—one for each letter of the alphabet.

From the top of the Ferris wheel at her hometown carnival to the sandy dunes of Lake Michigan, Veda takes every opportunity she can to add kisses (and boys) to her list, and soon the breakup doesn’t sting quite as much. But just when Veda thinks she has the whole kissing thing figured out, she meets someone who turns her world upside down.

By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, Anna Michels’s debut is the story of one girl who realizes that moving on from the supposed love of your life means taking a chance—and having the courage to love again.

Sounds fun, right? Exactly the kind of book you would read when you just want a book filled with swoon worthy kissing scenes.

Anna kindly took some time to talk about her novel, how she found some of the guy's names, and what she would put in a 26 Kisses inspired ice cream.

1 Twitter pitch 26 Kisses (140 characters or less). 

When Veda is dumped at the beginning of the summer, she decides to move on--and up--by kissing 26 boys, one for each letter of the alphabet

2 If someone were to make a signature ice cream in honour of your book, what might be included?

I think it would have to be blue ice cream, in honor of Lake Michigan, which is such an important part of Veda's hometown. We'd need some cherries thrown in, also in homage to Michigan... and then gummi bears on top, because gummi bears are literally the most fun thing you can put in ice cream, and I had such a blast writing 26 Kisses (and I hope you have a blast reading it!)

3 Let us in on one secret about one of your characters, or the world they inhabit. 

I love the town and setting of 26 Kisses so much that I'd love to write more books in that world--so some of the minor characters in this book could end up being the stars of the next one! Pay close attention to see if you can guess who they might be ;)

4 Your novel revolves around a girl attempting to kiss a boy for every letter of the alphabet. Can you share your favourite name you used for one of the boys?

Picking the names was one of the best parts of writing the book. I spent a lot of time on baby names websites! I only named one after someone I knew--Walter, right near the end of the book, is my grandpa's name. 

5 If you could travel to anywhere, in any time period, when and where would you want travel?

I have actually come about as close to time-traveling as is possible at this point, by working in a pioneer-era living history village! For eight hours a day, I wore period clothes, cooked over a fire, churned butter, etc. It was a great job and I wouldn't mind going back to 1840s America. It was a hard life, but a satisfying one.

6 What 2016 release are you most anticipating?

Gah, there are so many! I'm a contemporary YA girl all the way, so I'm really looking forward to Firsts by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, This Is Where it Ends by Marieke Nijkamp, and Suffer Love by Ashley Herring Blake.

7. If not too spoilery, can you share the first line of 26 Kisses.

Seth loved me first.

That ice cream sounds kind of amazing, and I am really excited to see what names made the list for some of the letters.

26 Kisses releases May 24, 2016 and can be pre-ordered right now from any retailer.

Chapters // Amazon // Barnes and Noble

You can also follow Anna on Twitter, visit her official website, and find out more about her books on the publisher website.

Be sure to stop by tomorrow to find out the next book that made this year's list!

A cute, summer-y read that will appeal to those who love contemporary reads. What's your favourite name for a love interest in a novel? Let me know in the comments.