Wattys 2019 Winner! "So when is it a problem? Oh, when you're in love." ----- Simon St. John is a liar, a cheater, a fraud -- but only because he has to be. Born with the ability to shape shift, his childhood was mostly spent learning to control his many faces in a world where most people only wear one. In fact, it was almost fun, in a way, until he met Valerie Love. Valerie Love is a college student fresh out of luck. For years she has watched her friends fall in and out of love, test the waters of relationships, earn their stripes in the wondrous field of romance. Valerie, however, has watched from the sidelines, passing face after face, meeting person after person without forming many connections. She has mostly given up on the idea of searching for love, until Simon lends her a new hope. Follow the strange story of college students Simon St. John and Valerie Love as one finally discovers the true definition of identity, and the other questions what it really is to be known.

"For a place called Paradise City, this island sucks. I don't think a single day has gone by that I haven't thought about stabbing the shit out of myself," he said. "Especially since I'm forced to live with you every second of every day." "Sh. I'm trying to science," I said, not looking up from my binoculars. "See anything interesting?" "Not really. My vision's a little clouded from the fog and rain clouds you constantly emit." He laughed. "You never fail to amuse me, Rea." "But you just said-" "I just said you make me want to stab myself. Interpret that however you'd like." With a love for whales and all life (besides maybe humans), Reagan Winebrenner had never even seen an ocean until her senior year in high school. But the moment she saw her first humpback, she knew she had found her passion and future career. A few years later and an invitation to Paradise City in hand, Reagan has her entire summer laid out for her, working on the project of a lifetime. But with five other students completing their projects as well, will they discover something worthwhile, or will they end up a psychology lesson for future generations? A New Adult Watty Winner 2019