Jaye Robin Brown is a former high school art teacher. She is also the critically acclaimed author of the young adult novels Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit and No Place to Fall. She lives in North Carolina.

Not to be missed by fans of Nina LaCour and Becky Albertalli, this powerful novel from Jaye Robin Brown, acclaimed author of Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit, paints a poignant portrait of love in the past, grief in the now, and the healing power of art.

Before: Jess has always struggled with the fire inside her. But when she meets Vivi all that changes. As they begin to fall for each other, Vivi not only helps Jess deal with her anger and pain, she also encourages Jess to embrace her artistic talent. And their future seems like a blank canvas—filled with possibilities.

After: When Vivi suddenly dies, Jess’s perfect world is erased. As she spirals out of control, Jess pushes away everyone around her and throws out her plans for art school. Because art is Vivi and Vivi is gone forever. Just when Jess seems at her lowest, she makes an unexpected friend who might be able to show her a new way to channel her anger, passion, and creativity. But will Jess ever be able to forge a new path for herself without Vivi?

The Meaning of Birds is a beautiful exploration of first love and first loss, which effortlessly weaves together past and present to tell a profound story about how you can become whole again when it seems like you’ve lost the most important part of yourself.

On Sale Date: April 16, 2019 – HarperTeen