The Worst Perfect Moment

Equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking, tender and edgy, this inventive romance asks what it means to be truly happy.

Tegan Masters is dead.

She’s sixteen and she’s dead and she’s standing in the parking lot of the Marybelle Motor Lodge, the single most depressing motel in all of New Jersey and the place where Tegan spent what she remembers as the worst weekend of her life.

Tegan isn’t particularly happy about this. At all.

In the front office, she meets Zelda, an annoyingly cute teen angel with a snarky sense of humour and an epic set of wings. According to Zelda, Tegan is in heaven, where every person inhabits an exact replica of their happiest memory.

But reconciling with her past, might just lead Tegan, and Zelda, to a happily-ever-afterlife …

Plozza strikes an expert balance between poignancy and irreverence, tackling topics such as death, parental abandonment, and self-worth in this queer romantic comedy that’s as tender as a bruise. Publishers Weekly, starred Review
A fresh take on a possible afterlife, this narrative is filled with depth and wit, despite its dark tone. Its realistic depiction of a girl’s reservoir of coping mechanisms for dealing with those who have let her down is exceptionally well written. . . A worthy read about a short life brimming with possibility. Kirkus Reviews, starred Review
This immersive novel hooks readers from the first page with its irreverent tone, cheeky romance, and Tegan’s growing understanding of what truly matters in life and afterlife. The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, starred Review
By combining childhood heartache, teenage angst, and queer romance, Plozza balances out the exuberance of being alive and the devastation that Tegan only feels after she’s gone. A take on life after death that will leave readers entranced, frustrated, and on the edge of their seats. Booklist

Shivaun Plozza’s critically acclaimed debut novel, Frankie, was nominated to ALA’s Best Fiction for Young Adults List, highly commended at the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards, shortlisted for the CBCA Book of the Year Awards, and won the Davitt Award for best YA crime novel. Her second novel, Tin Heart, was nominated to ALA’s Best Fiction for Young Adults List and received starred reviews from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly. Shivaun’s middle grade debut, The Boy, the Wolf, and the Stars, was a JLG selection. She has written two other middle grade novels: A Reluctant Witch’s Guide to Magic and Meet Me at the Moon Tree. Shivaun lives in Australia with her cat.

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