PRH Children's acquires 'achingly romantic' YA from Jennifer Niven

Penguin Random House Children's is publishing Breathless, a new "personal" and "achingly romantic" YA novel by Jennifer Niven, in paperback this autumn.

Fiction publisher Ben Horslen acquired US and Commonwealth rights from Jocelyn Lange and Penguin Random House US.

Breathless is the story of Claudine in the summer before college starts. When her parents split up, she is whisked away to an island off the coast of Georgia. Here she meets local trail guide Jeremiah who makes her heart beat faster. It's not the summer that Claudine had in mind, but it's the summer of her first times — first love, first sex, first heartbreak. 

Niven said: "Breathless is, in many ways, even more personal for me than All the Bright Places. It’s the book I needed when I was 16, 17 or 18. A frank take on sex and love, parental divorce, finding yourself instead of losing yourself, and the importance of writing your story. Of writing your life."

Horslen added: "Few authors know their reader’s hearts as well as Jennifer, and her achingly romantic new novel perfectly captures the thrilling, irresistible swirl of emotions that come with first love. Existing fans and new readers alike are in for an absolute treat."