Out Now
Every Shade of You
Minnesott Beach Book Two
It's not the end.
It's a Beginning.
Dewitt Griffin knows two things for sure. One, her family helped build Minnseott Beach, North Carolina. And two, that legacy leaves her no room to be different.
Griffins don't hallucinate moments from the past.
Across town, Nathan Cartwright is sure of a few things, too. One, no one ever stays. Two, you get a reputation when your parents are addicts.
Kids from Nathan's side of town don't cross paths with the Griffins.
Except Nathan and Dewitt, though, were never much for rules.
On the blistering summer day when Nathan’s parents up and leave him, Dewitt takes a shortcut that ends in Nathan's front yard. Not intentionally, but still. There's only so much knee-high grass, sagging front porch, and bloody boy knuckles you can take without stopping. Nathan doesn't want help from a Griffin, but with Dewitt, he gets it anyway.
That connection sparks a friendship.
That friendship, something more.
As the years go by and family secrets press closer, Dewitt's hallucinations plague her mental health. And while Nathan learns to stay when it’s hard, to love Dewitt when no one else can reach her, Minnesott never forgets where they came from.
It never forgets its past.
The anticipated follow-up to Blink and We'll Miss It, Every Shade of You is a coming-of-age novel of first love, forgiveness, and the realities of mental illness, set in a small coastal town that holds onto everything — even the secrets we try to outrun.
(While clean, uplifting, and humorous, Every Shade of You carries a grittier tone than Blink and We'll Miss It, and includes discussion of premarital sex between older teens as well as an off-page suicide attempt. Every effort has been made to approach Nathan and Dewitt's relationship from an appropriate, Catholic perspective while staying true to the characters' flawed natures and the faulty decisions they make.)
what people say
Reviews for Every Shade of You
From the very first page, I was completely hooked-—I didn't want to put it down.
The characters are so real and easy to love-you're rooting for them the whole way through. It's not a heavy read-it was actually the perfect easy beach book—but...Kochis has such a gift for storytelling. She writes with compassion and depth, weaving themes of identity and resilience in a way that feels both meaningful and incredibly relatable. Every Shade of You is beautiful, moving, and one I'll be thinking about for a long time.
reader Review
Finally! Wholesome young adult literature with an awesome page-turner of a story. I read book 2 before book 1, but it didn't matter. I just discovered the story a little differently. I am a mom to 3 fearfully and wonderfully made brilliant kids, each one unique in their own way. This series has been declared their favorite and they cannot wait (me either!) for the next part of the story to be written!
reader review
Spoiler alert! Mental illness is such a complicated struggle - but the story of Dewitt and Nathan is a joy to read and keeps you turning the pages late at night!
reader review
Kochis is skilled at writing about young people with mental illness. This story focuses on Dewitt Griffin, a teenage artist with bipolar disorder, and her relationship with Nathan Cartwright. As they attempt to navigate young love, her mental illness, and her parents' efforts to help her, they will both have to make difficult choices. While there is nothing graphic in it, this is a YA book that deals with challenging topics. I would recommend it for ages 15 and up.
Patrice Fagnant-Macarthur
Author and Editor
Not sure? Sample the first chapter!
Rosie pressed the napkin in my hand as we were walking out of Daughtry’s, right as Mr. Hillman stopped my father by the door. Her eyes went wide, as they dropped to the note, bursting with quiet meaning. Don’t let your Daddy see!
I blinked twice—Got it—and shuffled behind a stand of Sugar Flakes. Peeled the paper off my hand; opened the napkin just enough to see Barn tonight? and 10 in glaze-smudged marker.
That night, I stood and waited by the window, Rosie’s napkin on my nightstand next to the clock, glowing ten to ten. The wood floor creaked beneath my feet, and nervous energy thrummed my veins, a summer after seventh grade sparkle of potential.
I wanted answers.
I wasn’t waiting another night.