Father Knows Best

• Synopsis
  
• Advance Praise for Father Knows Best
  
• Acknowledgements
  
• Dedication
  
• Chapter One
  
• Chapter Two
  
• Chapter Three
  
• Chapter Four
  
• Chapter Five
  
• Chapter Six
  
• Chapter Seven
  
• Chapter Eight
  
• Chapter Nine
  
• Chapter Ten
  
• Chapter Eleven
  
• Chapter Twelve
  
• Chapter Thirteen
  
• Chapter Fourteen
  
• Chapter Fifteen
  
• About the Author
  
• Books Available From Bold Strokes Books
  

After a tumultuous junior year, best friends Lila Moreno, Meryl Morganstern, and Caressa Thibodoux plan to make the most of the summer before senior year. But those plans fall by the wayside when Lila’s archenemy, Jennifer Hamilton, finds herself friendless and flailing in a mess of her own making. Meryl steps up to help…and drags Lila and Caressa along with her.

What was supposed to be a carefree few months morphs into a summer of girl power, growing up, and giving in to situations beyond their control. In the end, all four girls are tighter than ever and one step closer to tackling their all-important senior year.

“Loosen your belt for a laugh-out-loud, fast-paced romp into enemy territory where three amigas swerve into unexpected growth and feelings of love.”—Mayra Lazara Dole, author of
Down To The Bone,
winner of the Rainbow Project award, Americas Award commendation, Booklist Top 10 Novels, starred ALA Booklist, and nominated for Best Books for YA 2009

“Sandoval shows us the real glue of female friendships. She has the girls’ voices—sweet, funny and a little bit snarky—down pat. You’ll wish you were their best friend.”—Ellen Wittlinger, Lambda Award–winning author of
Hard Love

“Beware! Once you start reading Father Knows Best you will not be able to put it down! Lila Moreno will capture your heart. Not only is she a wonderful tangle of teenage innocence and (her words) ‘classic Lila snarkitude,’ but also her predicaments are truly heartfelt. Her razor-sharp observations are so hilariously portrayed that you will feel you’ve made a new BFF (best friend forever). That goes for her friends Caressa and Meryl as well; for have no doubt, this is a story about the power of friends, about moving past our grudges and fears to step up and help someone in need. In short, it’s about girl power. And girl power, when it’s turned on high, as it is in Lynda Sandoval’s page-turning novel, has the capacity to move mountains. Father Knows Best will make you laugh out loud, get choked up, and finally, reflect on your own life to see if you’ve got the guts to live from your heart, the way these Three Amigas do.”—Clifford Henderson, author of
The Middle Of Somewhere
and
Spanking New

“
Father Knows Best
is a laugh-out-loud novel that is populated with fun characters that don’t just leap off of every page, they vault right into your heart. Lila Moreno is an unforgettable, endearing protagonist who takes us through a tender journey of family, friendship and forgiveness. The clever and true-tothe- ear dialogue is hilarious; this is one of the funniest firstperson narratives that I have read. With this novel, Sandoval has established herself as a strong literary voice for teenage girls. Young adult fiction doesn’t get much better than this!”—David- Matthew Barnes, filmmaker and author of
Mesmerized

“
Father Knows Best
is a warm-hearted, humorous romp, filled to the brim with girl power and sincerity. The characters are likeable, believable, and often insightful and witty. It’s a story that blasts preconceived notions, and shows how life and fate have a mind of their own, no matter what plans you have. The message is positive and the story leaves the reader wanting more.”—Melissa Jauregui, Poised at the Edge Book Reviews

“A heartfelt story about friendship—not just between three teenage girls, but between a girl and her father. There may not be any traveling pants, but this book should be a good fit for girls looking to see what friendship is really all about.”—Brent Hartinger, author of
Geography Club
and
The Last Chance Texaco

“Reading
Father Knows Best
is like sitting down for a talk with your crazy friend who makes the most mundane daily happenings sound like a party, and always cracks you up. It’s a warm and hilarious novel about friendship, and by the end you’ll agree that Jennifer is very lucky to have Lila, Meryl and Caressa in her circle.”—Jennifer Echols, author of
The Ex Games
and
Going Too Far,
nominee, ALA Best Book for Young Adults

“Any book with the name Lynda Sandoval on the cover is guaranteed to make its way to your keeper shelf. Lila, Caressa, and Meryl are three of my favorite characters—snarky, warm, and real.”—Niki Burnham, author of the Royally Jacked series and
Sticky Fingers

“Sandoval once again captures the voices of Lila, Meryl and Caressa with warmth and humor as the three friends navigate the summer before their senior year, showing how the bonds of true friendship can grow ever stronger. A totally fun read and worthy successor to
Who’s Your Daddy?
”—Denise Vega, author of
Fact Of Life #31,
winner of the Colorado Book Award for Young Adult Literature and the Colorado Top Hand Award for Middle Grade/ Young Adult Literature

“
Father Knows Best
is an attitude-packed, breezy read about friendship, love and family that will leave you with a big, goofy smile on your face. Love, friendship, and attitude! What more could you want from a YA novel?”—Simone Elkeles, awardwinning author of
Perfect Chemistry, How To Ruin A Summer Vacation,
and
Leaving Paradise.
2008 Author of the Year by the Illinois Association of Teachers of English.

“I laughed, cried, and cringed along with Lila as she walked the tightrope of wanting to grow up but not lose her spot as Daddy’s little girl. Luckily, she has Caressa and Meryl to help her navigate her way to adulthood. Any teenage girl would be lucky to have such a perfect trio of amigas!”—Stephanie Hale, author of
The Alpha Bet

Father Knows Best

Brought to you by

eBooks from Bold Strokes Books, Inc.

http://www.boldstrokesbookshop.com

eBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work.

Father Knows Best

by

Lynda Sandoval

A Division of Bold Strokes Books

2010

Father Knows Best

© 2010 By Lynda Sandoval. All Rights Reserved.

ISBN 10: 1-60282-147-XE

ISBN 13: 978-1-60282-147-7E

This  Electronic Book is published by

Bold Strokes Books, Inc.

P.O. Box 249

Valley Falls, New York 12185

First Edition: April 2010

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.

Credits

Editor: Stacia Seaman

Production Design: Stacia Seaman

Cover Design By Sheri ([email protected])

Thank you, first of all, Radclyffe, for giving this book a chance to reach readers. I’m so grateful. Also, thanks to Cindy Cresap for everything, to Sheri for the wonderful cover art, to Stacia Seaman, Connie Ward, and everyone else at Bold Strokes Books for being so welcoming. Much love to my agent, Jenny Bent, for basically being a rock star. Thanks, most of all to my mom and sisters for being my biggest fans, and to LaRita for being exactly who you are. I love you.

For Alex and Sarah, with all my love

So, the short version: junior prom rocked, I’d scored the perfect boyfriend, and the school year ended—YAY!—which meant my friends and I were officially incoming White Peaks High School seniors, a.k.a. The Shit.

Additionally, Dad had returned my driver’s license with the surprisingly good picture—not that I had a car (minor detail)—and nearly three months of freedom stretched out before me like a big, beautifully wrapped gift, because it was sum-sum-summertime, at last!

But, despite everything in my life that was going more perfectly than I could ever have imagined, here I stood late on a Friday night inside my own house, fuming and humiliated, flicking the porch light on and off.

And for whom, you ask?

My father. Yep, dear ol’ Dad.

The man apparently intent upon destroying my life, no matter what. The very man, I might add, who had been sucking face or whatever with his girlfriend on our porch swing for the last five minutes. Gross!

That fact alone was enough to kill me, let me tell you. One should not have to witness one’s father sucking face, not that I could actually see, nor did I want to, but you know what I mean. I knew. That was—or should’ve been—enough.

Oh, but there was more. So much more.

Don’t get me wrong—I think my dad deserves to find true love as much as the next guy. And, fine, I suppose he can even, you know…suck face and stuff if he feels he has to. But not on our porch, and not with This Particular Woman.

Okay, truth time. That was the big problemo right there.

His choice in women.