Okay, the first thing you need to know about the ultimate Summer Skin playlist is that the book itself IS a playlist. Every chapter heading is a song title, with the artist mentioned somewhere in the corresponding text—a little treasure hunt for the reader who wants to play. 

To prep for writing the book I’d been thinking about during my own time in college, I listened to the music I liked back then, which really helped me tap into that period of my life. That said, I knew this book was going to be very much of its time, exploring the great glorious mess of getting to know someone intimately, as opposed to just connecting on social media or watching sexual content on the net. So, I decided to embrace that, cement it, even, by giving the book its own soundtrack. Choosing songs meant hours of procrastination, but it was a lot of fun, and it helped me get into the writing. Not only did each title have to fit with the corresponding text, the song’s emotional tone also had to be right. 

With those criteria in mind, my favourite chapter/song match from the book is:  

Chapter 5: “Boys Like You” (by 360 featuring Gossling)

This song is an ode to bad boys and good girls—everything Summer Skin sets out to puncture. At this point in the story, Mitch is very much the bad boy. Jess, though, is much more than a passive conquest. As she points out to him later, she has a body, but she also has a heart and a head. 

Summer Skin by Kirsty Eagar

Jess Gordon is out for revenge. Last year the jocks from Knights College tried to shame her best friend. This year she and a hand-picked college girl gang are going to get even.

The lesson: Don't mess with Unity College girls.

The target: Blondie, a typical Knights stud, arrogant, cold . . . and smart enough to keep up with Jess.

A neo-riot grrl with a penchant for fanning the flames meets a rugby-playing sexist pig—sworn enemies or two people who happen to find each other when they're at their most vulnerable?

It's all Girl meets Boy, Girl steals from Boy, seduces Boy, ties Boy to a chair, and burns Boy's stuff. Just your typical love story.

Start reading now.