Kissing the Sky
A Novel
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Kissing the Sky
Pre-order for $33.99
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Narrated by:
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By:
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Lisa Patton
About this listen
From the bestselling author of Whistlin’ Dixie in a Nor’easter comes a soulful, nostalgic novel about a young woman coming of age in the ‘60s to the blare of the music that shaped a generation.
It’s the summer of ’69. While her peers revel in free love and rock and roll, Suzannah is home from college, sequestered inside her conservative Southern home. Her domineering father has condemned rock music and driven away her best friend. She’s counting the days until fall.
But everything changes when her free-spirited best friend, Livy, resurfaces, urging Suzannah, a talented singer, to join her for three days of peace and music in upstate New York. Fed up with her father’s rules and fearful for her brother’s fate in Vietnam, Suzannah agrees to the road trip, sneaking off without her parents’ knowledge.
Miles outside her comfort zone, the electrifying bedlam of Woodstock jolts her into a journey of self-transformation. But it’s not all incense and peppermints. Suzannah’s falling hard for Leon, a boy she meets at the festival, and the seductive bud of first love conceals a thorn of heartache. Lies uncover betrayal, and Livy’s wild behavior leads to a startling revelation.
A nostalgic trip through the turbulent ’60s, this is the story of a lovable heroine who lets go of the girl she was to embrace the woman she’s becoming while she learns to lift her voice—for herself and perhaps for the world.
©2026 by Lisa Patton. (P)2025 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.Critic Reviews
“Kissing the Sky is a story of Woodstock and war, of agency and astonishment. And in it, Lisa Patton is at her absolute best: funny, perceptive, romantic, and soul-stirring. For three music-soaked days we follow Suzannah—a young woman on the cusp of freedom—through a muddy field in upstate New York as she discovers the joys of first love and the strength of her own voice. An iconic novel set in the heart of an iconic weekend!”—Ariel Lawhon, New York Times bestselling author of The Frozen River
“A moving portrayal of a young woman’s battle to claim her life on her own terms, set against the stark backdrop of the Vietnam War, Kissing the Sky is a triumphant coming-of-age novel that, like a favorite song, will linger in readers’ minds long after the final page. Lisa Patton deftly paints a picture of Woodstock so immersive and so vivid, I found myself swaying to the music—and gasping at an emotional twist I never saw coming. A bold, beautiful testament to the power of community, the transformative nature of true love, and the absolute necessity of following your heart, Kissing the Sky is the must-read novel we all need right now. Five golden, glittering (or, better yet, tie-dyed!) stars!”—Kristy Woodson Harvey, New York Times bestselling author of Beach House Rules
“Music-soaked and soul-stirring, Lisa Patton’s Kissing the Sky sweeps us into the summer of ’69, where the electrifying chaos of Woodstock collides with the quiet rebellion of a Southern girl finding her voice. With pitch-perfect nostalgia, unforgettable characters, and a soundtrack that sings on every page, Patton captures the thunder of first love, the ache of loss, and the transcendent power of music to transform us. Kissing the Sky is both a trip back in time and a timeless tale of becoming. Lisa Patton created a chart-topping song of a novel, a hit record you’ll want to play on repeat long after the last page.”—Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times bestselling author of The Secret Book of Flora Lea