Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan
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Hot Dog Girl

by

Jennifer Dugan

(Author)

4.3

-

648 ratings


A fresh and funny contemporary YA rom-com about teens working as costumed characters in a local amusement park.

Elouise (Lou) Parker is determined to have the absolute best, most impossibly epic summer of her life. There are just a few things standing in her way:

  • She's landed a job at Magic Castle Playland . . . as a giant dancing hot dog.
  • Her crush, the dreamy diving pirate Nick, already has a girlfriend, who is literally the princess of the park. But Lou's never liked anyone, guy or otherwise, this much before, and now she wants a chance at her own happily ever after.
  • Her best friend, Seeley, the carousel operator, has always been up for anything, but she's decidedly not on board when it comes to Lou's quest to set her up with the perfect girl or Lou's scheme to get close to Nick.
  • And it turns out that this will be their last summer at Magic Castle Playland—ever—unless she can find a way to stop it from closing.

Jennifer Dugan's sparkling debut coming-of-age queer romance stars a princess, a pirate, a hot dog, and a carousel operator who find love—and themselves—in unexpected people and unforgettable places.

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ISBN-10

0593857062

ISBN-13

978-0593857069

Print length

336 pages

Language

English

Publisher

G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

Publication date

April 29, 2019

Dimensions

5.5 x 1 x 9 inches

Item weight

9.6 ounces


Product details

ASIN :

B07G6VWFWK

File size :

4924 KB

Text-to-speech :

Enabled

Screen reader :

Supported

Enhanced typesetting :

Enabled

X-Ray :

Not Enabled

Word wise :

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Editorial Reviews

“I'm wrecked with love for this funny, joyful, bighearted book.” —Becky Albertalli, bestselling author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

“I never expected I'd fall so hard and so fast for a girl in a hot dog suit. Both classic and new, hysterical and heartfelt, and packed with all the awesomeness and awkwardness of first love, first job, and the painful thrill of growing up. So if you need me this summer, I'll be at Magic Castle Playland with the hot dog girl.” —Mackenzi Lee, bestselling author of The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue

“Hot Dog Girl is a treat of a book packed with scheming, queer romance, and amusement park food. This laugh-out-loud debut made me hungry and stole my heart.” —Rachel Lynn Solomon, author of You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone

"A great, fizzy rom-com... The setting is ingeniously imaginative—an amusement park, where over one summer teens dressed as princesses, pirates, and (yes) hot dogs are left to flirt and gossip and fall in love. And [Dugan's] heroine, Lou, is beautifully realized: a complex bisexual woman who finds her desires and expectations challenged by a strangely magical world." —Entertainment Weekly

"A hilarious delight. This wonderful romance novel set at a theme park makes for one of the best reads of the year, hands down." —Paste Magazine

“Funny, relatable, and oh-so-cute.” —Girls’ Life Magazine

“A story of friendship growing into love. Elouise’s big ideas don’t always execute well but her foibles feel real.” —The Washington Post

"Relatable and funny, Dugan’s character dialogue and voice capture the awkward/messy/magical summer and keep both the characters and plot real and winning throughout this amusement park ride." —Publishers Weekly

"Dugan's debut has a clear and confident voice, and her characters are sympathetic in their desire for happiness and fear of change; the supporting cast members have their own fully-developed personalities without overwhelming the main storyline. Lou's inner narration is funny, clear, and emotional... A fun romantic comedy that evokes the pleasures of summertime." —Kirkus Reviews

"Lou’s energetic, readable voice makes her a sympathetic character even when, or especially when, she is confessing her flaws. Readers looking for a frothy summer read won’t regret this." —BCCB

"A sparkling summer romance. Dugan’s amusement-park setting is entertaining, as is her likable cast of characters." —Bookpage

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Sample

Chapter One

Everybody seems to think the summer after your senior year is the stuff of legends. That it’s two months of pure teenage bliss or something. It’s almost as if there’s this big conspiracy surrounding it, like, sure, kid, throw your cap in the air, cue up that hit pop song you will definitely hate by fall, and then you, too, will be guaranteed the most epic summer of your life. I mean, we all know that’s not how it actually goes down, right?

Even though I won’t kick off my own senior year for another couple of months, I’ve already witnessed way more than my fair share of post-senior summers. It’s a hazard of attending a tiny school—you can’t really be picky about how old your friends are. But yeah, I think I can conclusively say that frantically searching Target for extra-long twin bedsheets while freaking out about what to major in does not an epic summer make.

So no, I don’t buy into that whole post-senior-year magic thing. I think pre-senior year is where it’s at, and for me, that starts right here in this tiny breakroom—with a stomach full of butterflies and a brain full of fireworks.

This is going to be my summer, no doubt about it.

I take a deep breath and slide my finger down the crisp page in front of me, searching for my name on the corkboard of destiny. Seriously. That’s what we call stuff like this at Magic Castle Playland. It’s not a bulletin board; it’s a “corkboard of destiny.” It’s not a list of job assignments; it’s a “character reveal chart.” I swear to god everything here is about as whimsical as it is rusty.

I look lower, past the names of the ride operators and the food service people, over housekeeping and maintenance, until I get to the costume crew. I pause at the listing for princess. It’s not my name. Okay, that’s fine, disappointing but fine. I knew it was a long shot when I put in for it. My finger dips even lower, gliding past the prince, and the pirates, and all the furry park mascots, until it hits my name: Elouise May Parker. I drop my head against the board. No, no, no. Not again. I can’t. This has to be a mistake.

My best friend, Seeley, nudges me out of the way. “What’s it say?”

“I’m the hot dog.”

Pity flashes in her hazel eyes. “It could be worse.”

“Could it, See? Could it really?”

“Yeah! What if they put you in housekeeping and you were stuck in the bathroom by Swashbuckler Bay?” She shudders, cracking herself up.

“It’s not funny.” I pout, but technically, yes, that would be worse. I mean, the bathroom crew finishes every shift smelling like mildew and old diapers, so . . .

Seeley holds up her hands. “Hey, I’m just kidding, but it’s going to be okay, Lou, promise.”

She’s right. I know she is. This is a minor speed bump. I mean, it’s not like anybody died or there’s a giant meteor about to strike Earth or anything. But still, there are so many things I have planned for these last few months before we’re sucked up in the frenzy of senior year, and playing the hot dog isn’t one of them.

I glance back at the list, letting out a little humph, and then look back at Seeley with an exaggerated frown. She bursts out laughing, shaking so hard her teal hair tips right into her sun-kissed face. Seeley’s always got it a different color these days, almost like a mood ring. The happier she is, the brighter her hair gets.

Meanwhile I’m her slightly duller, significantly paler sidekick. My skin doesn’t tan—it just burns—and my hair is this permanent mousy brown color because it doesn’t hold dye. My dad calls it “caramel brown,” which makes me think it’s been way too long since he’s actually seen any caramel.

Seeley grins and shoves her bangs out of her face as we start to walk toward the main stage for orientation. “Seriously, what are the odds that a vegetarian ends up in a hot dog suit two years in a row?”

“Shut up. What did you get?” I almost hope it’s something awful like the Scrambler, where she’s guaranteed to clean up tons of puke on the daily. It’s only fair we both suffer.

“The carousel.” She shrugs, her lips twisting into a smirk.

“I hate you.”

“No you don’t.” She laughs. “Besides, would you honestly rather have Marcus or Brynn in charge of the carousel? They’d have Butters and Racer scratched all to hell from day one.”

“I would kill them.”

Seeley crosses her arms. “Exactly. So really, you should be thanking me for helping you avoid a lengthy prison sentence.”

I snort, running my hand along the rock wall. This is the only time of year I even dare to touch it, the only time when it’s still sort of semi-clean—well, as clean as the filthy old rock wall of a run-down amusement park can be, anyway. But tomorrow the gates will open, and everything will be sticky from the sweat and garbage of our less-than-stellar clientele.

I drop my hand, smiling at the familiar sight of co-workers finding seats and talking excitedly to everybody they haven’t seen since the last time the cold broke in our unforgiving little mountain town. Most of them aren’t townies like me; some of them live in neighboring areas, and some of them—the lifers, as I like to call them—follow the seasons. They spend their summers up here where it’s a little bit cooler, and the winters down south where the weather is mild.

You don’t realize how many people it takes to run an amusement park, even an old midsize one like ours, until you try to cram them all into the seats at Mr. Johnny’s Magic Emporium. Even though our little rust bucket can’t compete with the corporate giants, we have some cool stuff here—a couple roller coasters, some games, enough rides to pass an afternoon, and, of course, our namesake: a tiny pink castle smack-dab in the middle of the park—and it takes tons of people to keep it going each day.

Tons of people who are currently causing a human-shaped traffic jam right ahead of me. I take a sharp right and turn down the lower path to hit up the amphitheater’s side entrance. Seeley follows close behind me, stepping hard on the back of my sneaker, so hard my heel pops out. I glare at her, grabbing onto her arm for support as I fix my shoe.

“Sorry.” Her voice lilts up like this isn’t an offense punishable by death.

“Hey, Seeley,” a boy says, nodding at her as he walks by. It’s Nick, because of course it would be Nick when I’m hunched over looking like I don’t know how to operate a shoe. Seeley lifts her hand to wave and nearly sends me sprawling. Thanks for that, universe.

“Hey, Nick.” I smile, jumping forward as I regain my balance.

“Hey, Elouise.” He nods.

“Elle, Nick, call me Elle.” I grit my teeth.

He clamps his hand on my shoulder, and I praise the gods that I decided to wear a tank top today. “If ‘Elle’ hasn’t stuck by now, it’s never going to. But I applaud your determination.” He squeezes his fingers a little like he’s giving me a massage and oh, okay, no big deal. I’ll just be over here dying because Nick’s skin is touching my skin and that’s—

“Have you guys seen Jessa?” he asks.

Oh, right. Jessa. His super beautiful, so-nice-it-hurts girlfriend. How could I ever forget?

“Haven’t seen her,” I grumble, but then Seeley pokes me in the ribs and I force out a smile. “She might still be checking the list.”

“Oh, yeah. How’d you two make out?” Nick shoves his hands into his pockets, and I try not to frown from the loss of contact.

“Carousel.” Seeley grins, which Nick apparently thinks deserves a high five.

“I’m the hot dog. Again,” I blurt out, which apparently Nick thinks doesn’t. Not that I can blame him. My face burns and I huff out a breath so big my cheeks puff out.

Nick opens and shuts his mouth a few times, like he doesn’t know where to start. “Another year in the bun? Tough break, Elouise.” He shakes his head. “I’m so lucky I don’t have to deal with random jobs.”

He is lucky; I’m glad he realizes that. See, Nick’s a diving pirate, which isn’t exactly a job you can just walk into. He swam for his old school, I think, and he made the dive team at ours like two seconds after he moved here. He even got a partial scholarship to Presley University this fall, which I’m pretending doesn’t exist. The last thing I want to think about is him leaving for college. But anyway, yeah, he doesn’t have to worry about being a hot dog because he’s too busy being the absolute best pirate on the planet. No way will Mr. P ever assign him anywhere else.

Nick brushes his hair out of his eyes. “All right, I’m gonna go look for Jessa and find the guys. I’ll catch up with you later.”

“Bye,” I say, a little too eagerly, and I swear I see a tiny shake of his head as he walks away.

“Bye,” Seeley repeats, stretching the word out with a little giggle. It’s simultaneously her best and worst impression of me.

I wait until he disappears around the corner, then widen my eyes. “He totally just massaged my shoulder. You saw that, right? He was all in.”

“All in on squeezing your shoulder?” If there’s some kind of world record for highest eyebrow raise ever, I’m pretty sure Seeley just broke it.

“He massaged it. You witnessed it. It was glorious.”

“Oh my god, Lou, it finally happened: you’ve lost your last remaining marble.” I try to elbow her, but she grabs my arm, laughing.

“Hey, guys.” Angie Martinez appears out of nowhere right then, giving Seeley a little nod as she skirts around us. Her black hair is pulled tight in a ponytail, which bounces against her light brown skin as she walks down the hill to the Emporium. Angie’s a year ahead of us, like Nick, and she runs the Ferris wheel. I’m 93 percent sure she’s got a thing for Seeley, but I’m also about 100 percent sure Seeley is oblivious.

Seeley tugs my arm, snapping my attention back to her. “Come on, Lou, let’s go find a place to sit.”

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About the authors

Jennifer Dugan

Jennifer Dugan

Jennifer Dugan is a writer, a geek and a romantic, who writes the kind of stories she wishes she’d had growing up. Her debut novel, Hot Dog Girl, was called a “great fizzy rom-com” by Entertainment Weekly and “one of the best reads of the year, hands down” by Paste Magazine. She lives in upstate New York with her family, dog, bearded dragon, new kitten, and her evil, yet beloved, cat that is no doubt planning to take over the world.

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Reviews

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5

648 global ratings

thisrogue

thisrogue

5

This book made me stay awake til 6:30AM

Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2019

Verified Purchase

This is hard because I don't usually just gush about a book, it's not useful to people wondering what's going on with it. But at the same time I can't find anything wrong with Hot Dog Girl.

In fact I went in with low expectations, since it seemed like it was going to be a YA for teens on the younger side.

I was wrong. This is a cute summer movie waiting to happen. A witty, quick, coming of age and understanding the world sort of book. A dive in a small mountain town where you get to know a handful of people through the eyes of Elle (or Lou) and ends up shaking your head because, yeah, her plotting was a mess and she was the only one not realizing it.

If there's anything wrong with Hot Dog Girl is that I spent the first chapters confused. "Where's the f/f I was promised? What's this het nonsense happening? Take this boy away."

Joke was on me though. Nick is actually a nice character, the slow burn between the girls is so sweet and the author is a master in showing things through narrative that the main character doesn't realize, but the reader, does.

You'll soon catch up on who's in love, who has more depth than you'd thought and then ask: when will Elle catch up?

If you're looking for a sweet and amazingly cute love story. If you love the ups and downs of teen drama with bits of real life emotions going on, this is it. This is a book about Elouise trying to make the perfect summer memory: hooking up with handsome boy, finding a cute girl for her best friend, saving the park she works at and, probably, world domination if you'd let her.

And I hope you fall in love with it, just like I did.

Oh, also? Jennifer Dugan is a most talented author, there's not a wasted paragraph. Every sentence is a joy. Quick, funny, insightful and believable. I really hope her future involves a hundred more f/f books, she just blew all my expectations up.

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6 people found this helpful

Katy Stamps

Katy Stamps

5

not what I expected

Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2023

Verified Purchase

To be honest my sister said I should read this book, and I was unsure because I don’t love reading YA. But it was so good and heartfelt. Made me cry more than once. Reading it as a twenty something this was filled with so much nostalgia of trying to make the perfect memories.

meganthebookworm

meganthebookworm

5

I ADORED this book

Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2022

Verified Purchase

I thought this book was perfect! When I was a teenager, I always wanted to work at a theme park. I always thought the workers looked so cool. I loved getting a "behind the scenes" view of this job. I also thought the book had just enough drama and just enough heart. All the threads were tied up nicely at the end and I was so happy with it. I highly recommend!

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Sarah Elizabeth

Sarah Elizabeth

5

WOW

Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2023

Verified Purchase

Wow, just wow. This book was so good! I finished it in about two days because I simply could not put it down!

E. Waisanen

E. Waisanen

5

Perfect summer YA read!

Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2019

Verified Purchase

If you're looking to read a fun summer YA romance, then look no further than Hot Dog Girl! This book was enjoyable from start to finish! Quirky and hot-mess Lou makes for a likable protagonist, but all the other characters are relatable as well. I laughed out loud while reading and quickly finished the book so I can hand it to my students to enjoy as well. I look forward to more books by this author!

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4 people found this helpful

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