"Aren't you afraid?" "Of what? Dying?" "Yes, exactly that." She took a moment to deliberately pick the right words in her mind because she knew he was going to ask why the moment after she answered, "No. Death is unavoidable, it's a part of life that is inescapable since birth. It's written in our very nature. The problem is that people spend too much time worrying about death and not living their lives to their fullest potential. We were born to both live and die and that seems to be forgotten somewhere along the way. I am not afraid of dying even though I could die at any given day at any given time because I'm making the most of my life and I know that something better awaits me when I go." [Edited!]

Emerson knows high school can be messy, but nothing could prepare her for Oliver Remmer's return. Dangerous, mysterious, and rumored to be a psychopath, he's the kind of boy everyone fears... and everyone watches. Yet Emerson isn't everyone. She sees the layers beneath his intense exterior-the boy shaped by a troubled past, moments of tenderness hidden under bursts of anger, and a vulnerability most people would never notice. Between the gossip, the chaos, and the adrenaline-charged tension, Emerson can't help but be drawn in. Oliver is unpredictable, and being near him is thrilling-and maybe a little bit reckless. Standing her ground almost feels like a dare. But some loves are worth the risk. Some loves are easy. Back Cover Copy: "Write down one word that describes you." Oliver didn't hesitate. Psychopath. Everyone expects me to run. To stay away. To be careful. But I didn't. Because there's something behind the intensity, the walls, the mystery. Something only I get to see. Because sometimes the thrill of the unknown is exactly what your heart has been waiting for. Set in North Carolina, Open is a teen romance about taking risks, discovering who someone really is, and finding that love can feel mysterious, dangerous... and irresistible. C O V E R B Y @ZiaDavis