Zyla & Kai

Ages 12 And Up, Grades 7 And Up

Now in paperback, a fresh teen romance about the will they, won't they—and why can't they—of first love.

While on a school trip to the Poconos (in the middle of a storm), high school seniors, Zyla Matthews and Kai Johnson, run away together, leaving their friends and family confused. As far as everyone knows, Zyla and Kai have been broken up for months. And honestly? Their break up didn't surprise anyone. Zyla and Kai met while working together at an amusement park the previous summer, and they couldn't have been more different from each other.

Zyla was a cynic about love. She witnessed the dissolution of her parents' marriage early in life, and it left an indelible impression. Her only aim was graduating and going to fashion school abroad. Until she met Kai.

Kai was a serial monogamist and a hopeless romantic. He put a temporary pause on his dating life before senior year to focus on school and getting into his dream HBCU. Until he met Zyla.

Alternating between the past and present, we see the love story unfold primarily from Zyla's and Kai's perspectives: how they first became the unlikeliest of friends over the summer, how they fell in love during the school year, and why they ultimately broke up. . . . Or did they?

Story Locale:New Jersey

About the Author

Kristina Forest is an author of romance novels for adults and teens. Her young adult novels include I Wanna Be Where You Are, Now That I've Found You and Zyla & Kai. She earned her MFA in creative writing at The New School, and she can often be found rearranging her bookshelf.

Author Residence: Jersey City, NJ