I'm joining RockStar Book Tours and Disney Books on the tour for THE TEMPERATURE OF ME AND YOU by Brian Zepka!
Brian Zepka was born and raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Brian worked with the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention in Virginia where he provided support for programs
addressing community health literacy and adolescent sexual health. He currently lives in
Philadelphia and is a program evaluator for a nonprofit organization focused on chronic disease
prevention. The Temperature of Me and You is his first novel.
Title: THE TEMPERATURE OF ME AND YOU
Author: Brian Zepka
Pub. Date: January 25, 2022
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook
Pages: 416
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Audible, B&N, iBooks (audiobook), Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org
Sixteen-year-old Dylan Highmark thought his winter was going to be full of boring shifts at
the Dairy Queen, until he finds himself in love with a boy who's literally too hot to handle.
Dylan has always wanted a boyfriend, but the suburbs surrounding Philadelphia do not have a
lot in the way of options. Then, in walks Jordan, a completely normal (and undeniably cute) boy
who also happens to run at a cool 110 degrees Fahrenheit. When the boys start spending time
together, Dylan begins feeling all kinds of ways, and when he spikes a fever for two weeks and
is suddenly coughing flames, he thinks he might be suffering from something more than just a
crush. Jordan forces Dylan to keep his symptoms a secret. But as the pressure mounts and
Dylan becomes distant with his closest friends and family, he pushes Jordan for answers.
Jordan's revelations of why he's like this, where he came from, and who's after him leaves
Dylan realizing how much first love is truly out of this world. And if Earth supports life that
breathes oxygen, then love can only keep Jordan and Dylan together for so long.
THE TEMPERATURE OF ME AND YOU is the story of first love, and the lengths we'll go to
figure out our hearts. What starts as an electric, chance encounter at a Dairy Queen quickly
evolves into a heated romance, a journey of trust and identity, and a ticking clock for survival.
The beginning of this novel started out super duper cute. We have our awkward boy, Dylan, working at Dairy Queen and seeking love with his group of friends when after closing, a cute boy walks in and orders a Blizzard only for the ice cream to literally explode in Dylan's hand. At this point-only a few pages in-the story goes from a YA contemporary to a fantastical did-he-just-melt-that-with-his-bare-hands?
*blinks rapidly*
The book goes from 0-100 in the blink of an eye when Dylan discovers Jordan's secret. Is he a superhero, super villain? WHAT IS HE?? In the meantime, his feelings for Jordan develop quicker than a Blizzard melting.
me
What I loved:
The story has all the elements of a feel-good YA romance and I love the way the boys' relationship developed and I thought they were adorable together despite this...thing between them. I loved Dylan; he reminded me a lot of David from Schitt's Creek!
The friendships and their moments together doing paint-by-numbers and crashing art galleries. It's refreshing to see a friend circle do more than party. I may or may not have ordered my own paint-by-number kit btw
What I didn't like:
I felt like the world surrounding the story was underdeveloped and at times, unconvincing. Don't get em wrong, I don't feel as though certain elements have to be fully explained to be believed, but there was too much missing here for me to fully immerse myself in the situation that had befallen Jordan and now Dylan. The climax also fell a bit flat.
But all those things aside, I had a good time reading this debut and I cannot wait to see what else the author has in store next.
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
3 winners will receive a finished copy of THE TEMPERATURE OF ME AND YOU, US Only.
Week One:
1/17/2022
Excerpt
1/18/2022
Excerpt
1/19/2022
Excerpt
1/20/2022
Review
1/21/2022
Review
1/22/2022
Review
Week Two:
1/23/2022
Review
1/24/2022
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1/25/2022
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1/26/2022
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1/27/2022
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1/28/2022
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1/29/2022
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Week Three:
1/30/2022
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1/31/2022
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2/1/2022
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2/2/2022
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2/3/2022
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2/4/2022
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2/5/2022
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Week Four:
2/6/2022
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2/7/2022
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2/8/2022
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2/9/2022
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2/10/2022
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2/11/2022
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2/12/2022
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Week Five:
2/13/2022
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2/14/2022
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2/15/2022
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2/16/2022
Review
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