Sixteen candles lead to a summer of self-discovery in Timothy Woodward’s debut, IF I TOLD YOU SO

Sixteen-year-old Sean Jackson’s summer is off to an inauspicious start. The only place hiring in his small New Hampshire hometown is the local ice cream shop owned by the “Fabulous” Renée, who has a reputation for being tough on employees. Donning a pink t-shirt to scoop sundaes for tourists and seniors promises to be a colder, stickier version of hell.

On his first day of work, Sean meets Becky, a wickedly funny New York transplant with a sarcastic attitude and a taste for mischief. The store manager, Jay, is eighteen, effortlessly cool, and according to Becky, “likes” Sean the way Sean’s starting to like him.

But before Sean can clear a path to the world that’s waiting, he will have to deal with his overprotective mother and come out to his sweet, popular girlfriend, Lisa. And just when he thinks he has it all figured out, Sean’s absentee father shows up unannounced. Over the course of one unforgettable summer, Sean must deal with the uncertainty of being gay in a small town, the excitement and danger of his first gay kiss and the difficulties of coming out to the people closest to him.

Tender and achingly funny, IF I TOLD YOU SO will resonate with anyone who is—or has ever been—a teenager, when the only thing you can count on is how little you really know, and the next glance, or touch, or breathless night can be the one that changes everything.

“Woodward’s debut is a soapy, feel-good read.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“…the tone is so hopeful, charming and moving that it’s a delight for any young gay and/or the most jaded queen.”
—Instinct

“It’s wonderful to see more YA novels with gay protagonists, and Woodward works to make certain points, namely that one’s first love is not always one’s most significant, and that gay teens can find support in unexpected places.”
—RT Book Reviews




IF I TOLD YOU SO
Timothy Woodward
Kensington, an imprint of Kensington Publishing
September 2012/Fiction/Trade Paperback/Original
$15.00 978-0-7582-7488-5
Author Residence: Las Vegas, NV