Holding on to You, Paperback

A gripping and romantic story of true love, grief, and human connection, previously published as The Falling Between Us.

A Junior Library Guild Selection

Roxanne "Rox" Stewart has always loved Joshua "Shu" Blackbird--before the world loved him too.

Eight months ago, Rox and Shu were stuck in their tiny middle-of-nowhere hometown with no prospects of leaving. But after Joshua posts a performance of an original song on YouTube, he becomes an overnight sensation. Suddenly, the boy Rox loves is a massive celebrity on a whirlwind national tour, catapulting to dizzying heights of fame.

The new life is glamorous and exciting for both of them--but it's not long before the stress and complication of being in the public eye begins weighing them down. With the constant hunger of managers, diehard fans called "Birdies," record execs, paparazzi, and family all leeching onto Joshua--it seems impossible for Shu to survive the gauntlet of fame, and stay the person she always knew.

Then one day, Joshua Blackbird disappears. Was it an accident? Was it intentional? Rox will stop at nothing to find out the truth, even if no one else believes there's something to find. She won't let go of her love--the boy she knows is still out there.

Ash Parsons is a graduate of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College as well as other, more traditional schools. She is a PEN America Literary Award Winner for the Phyllis Naylor Fellowship and a Literary Arts Fellow for the Alabama State Council of the Arts. She previously taught English to middle and high school students and has spent some time stumbling around as a zombie on The Walking Dead. Ash lives in Alabama with her family. She is also the author of Still Waters and Girls Save the World in This One.