Agent Pitch Finalist #27 - Hope in Bloom

Hope in Bloom
YA Contemporary
72,000

Query:

All girls have hopes. Unfortunately, some hopes die before they have a chance to bloom.

Eighteen-year-old Mallory’s dream of the perfect senior year is disintegrating. Her father hasn’t had a job in ages, her brother drags a shadow of misery around the house, and the sister she idolizes has taken off without a word. The only bright spot left in her life is her boyfriend—that is until she catches his lips attached to another girl’s at the end-of-summer party.

After barely surviving a disastrous first day of school, Mallory lands at a mini-mart known for selling more winning lottery tickets than any other store for hundreds of miles. Desperate for a spot of hope, she joins the crowd and watches her dreams print out on two yellowish-orange tickets.

As Mallory’s senior year continues to unravel, she becomes increasingly dependent on her lottery hope. Each set of tickets gifts her with a dream of a different life, one in which new adventures replace the suffering that surrounds her. This pipe dream, however, also demands lies—to family and friends—that multiply daily until Mallory can no longer recognize the girl she used to be and the life she used to have.

But with a little help from a new friend—the tough yet totally hot transfer student who’s got struggles of his own—Mallory just may see that a jackpot win isn’t the lottery’s only prize.

First 150 Words:

Every girl needs a good luck charm. Mine was a shirt, emerald green with rainbow embroidery along the neckline. I was convinced that magic lived in every thread. My boyfriend Ben said it was the shirt I had on the day he fell in love with me. I'd also worn it the day I found out I’d finally made the varsity cheerleading squad and the day I’d gotten my first ‘A’ on a pre-calculus test. It was definitely a lucky shirt, and I would’ve worn it to the party that night if only it had been clean.

“Hurry up!” I tapped my foot impatiently, looking back at my friends who were moving at a snail’s pace up the walkway.

Sara, Taylor, and Nicole were gossiping about something, but I had zero interest in their conversation. My heart somersaulted in anticipation of seeing Ben. He left for college a month ago, and I missed him.