I am so excited to be kicking off the blog tour for the new sunny, feel-good romantic comedy Take A Chance On Me by Beth Garrod, published by Scholastic.

Take A Chance On Me by Beth Garrod

Meg’s first kiss was a disaster…but this summer she will have a perfect, swoony, just-like-in-the-movies kiss with a hot boy – and what better setting than the sun-drenched Greek island she’s holidaying on? But with three very different boys vying for her attention, resetting her first kiss may be more complicated than she bargained for…

Just in time for summer, this fun, feel-good story will strike a chord with young people hoping for holiday romance! Beth Garrod is the author of the Super Awkward series and has worked for broadcasters including Radio 1, Blue Peter and MTV.  She now concentrates on social impact campaigns, working with charities and broadcasters around the world to make content that can help empower young people. I am delighted to welcome Beth to the blog today for a Q & A on this first stop on the blog tour!

Describe Take a Chance on Me in five words

Can I do six?! Holiday hotties, best-mate missions, superstar surprises.

What’s your favourite holiday destination?  Well, a few years ago I visited a small Greek island for the very first time – I was so lucky. We had to catch a plane and a boat to get there, but when we arrived it was like something from a postcard! The water was like a giant warm bath, the sea and sky were the brightest blues, and everyone there was super friendly. And oh my goodness THE FOOD. The whole island was so good that it ended up being the inspiration for Meg’s surprise holiday in Take A Chance On Me.

Lots of the action in Take a Chance on Me takes place on a film set. Name your dream cast for a movie adaptation of the book. This is a hard one! Hmm… Can I dream big?

Meg – can Joey King from the Kissing Booth do it?! Or Lana Condor. Or Jessica Barden who is totally amazing. Or Amandla Stenberg.. sorry I need to stop now.

Anita (her best mate) – Manpreet Bambra from Free Rein. I love that show, and she seems super fun. Barbara Ferreira is also a total boss.

Meg’s Dad – Stephen Mangan. But he’d have to get really into health and safety. And could Jodie Comer get older to play her mum?

Billy – Maybe Ncuti Gatwa, as he brings all the laughs and all the feels in just one look. Or Lewis Capaldi, if he fancied acting?

TJ – I mean I’d love Noah Centineo to be in it, but he’s too Noah and lovely to be TJ right? Right?!

And can a young Miles Teller/ Shailene Woodley be in there too? And Marsai Martin – she’d star in the film AND keep TJ in check.

Can you share the cringiest thing that’s happened to you on holiday? Oh wow. Lots of things have happened. It’s hard to choose a winner. I think the time I did my dissertation in Ibiza on… biodiversity, was pretty excellent. Everyone else was on holiday, and glamming it up on the beach, but my uni needed video evidence I was following procedure so my friend had to document me on the beach, clutching a 1m square quadrat (a giant wooden and metal grid thing) in full high vis safety wear and non-slip shoes.

Any top tips for going on holiday with your friends? If you’re going somewhere on a plane then pack a spare swimsuit or bikini in your travel bag. I once had a case go AWOL, and let’s just say the clothes my friends lent me were all at least 4 sizes too small. It was all quite a lewk. And always have a stash of chocolate. It tastes extra good on holiday, especially if it’s fridge-chocolate. And remember a speaker. Music is a must – then you can come back and re-listen to the playlists and try and pretend you’re still there.

And something to remember if it’s your first holiday together, living with someone is harder than just hanging out, so allow everyone the space to be  a grumpy morning person, or to be sleep deprived, or a bit hot and sweaty one day. One day it’ll most likely be your turn.

Oh, and is it wrong to mention I never regret packing Marmite?

What are your favourite YA reads of 2019 so far? There have been so many! I wasn’t surprised at all that I loved Alex in Wonderland by Simon James Green so so much. Just like his Noah books it had everything in that I love – big laughs, awkward moments, and a really beautiful mega-crush. Oh My Gods by Alexandra Sheppard was another one I loved – it’s also very funny and contemporary, but with a real twist to it. Jemima Small Vs The World I adored, and wished Jemima would pop out of the pages and become real. And I’m about to go on holiday (to the non-imaginary Greek island I mentioned just before) and I can’t wait to read The Switch Up by Katy Cannon and Scar by Alice Broadway. I’ve been dying for the third book in the Ink series for ages!

Find out more about Beth at www.bethhgarrod.com.  With thanks to Scholastic for inviting me to participate in this blog tour. Don’t forget to check out the rest of the tour this week: