A teen violinist hopes to leave her foster care baggage behind at college. Instead, she starts sleeping around campus—from air mattresses to random couches—after a roommate nightmare.
Foster care always promised her a bed. Now she doesn’t even have that.
Coralee (Corey) Reed can’t wait to trade her current foster house for Harmony Hall, the dorm for music majors. Corey arrives at Borns College with her pawn-shop violin and a borrowed duffle bag, ready to leave her foster care baggage behind.
But Corey’s first day on campus starts on a sour note. She runs into her arch-nemesis-violinist Dylan Mason, then her name’s not on the dorm’s roster. Worst of all, Corey can’t live at Harmony Hall. Period. Because she’s not yet accepted into the music program. Instead, Reslife shoves her into a temporary triple with two unsuspecting (and beyond different) roommates.
When one of her roommates does the unforgivable, Corey starts sleeping around campus—from air mattresses to random couches—while waiting for an open room. But how can she beat Dylan for first chair if she can’t keep her eyes open? How can she pass her finals without a good night’s sleep? Will college, the place she thought would launch her dreams of becoming a professional violinist, be the place her dreams end all too soon?
Awards
Sleeping Around was named a Finalist and the YA/MG Winner of the Publisher’s Weekly 2022 BookLife Prize!
Reviews
“As the mother of a teen adopted from foster care, I’m thrilled to know Coralee and her particular background as a child from the system. Morgan Vega’s richly-compelling details about Coralee’s experiences in foster care and as an aspiring young musician at University feel authentic and heart-wrenching, particularly when these worlds collide. Sleeping Around is a must-read for anyone who loves a contemporary, relevant novel full of music and compassion.”
—Melissa Hart, Author of Avenging the Owl and Daisy Woodworm Changes the World
Exploring trauma and resilience in gritty first-person detail, Sleeping Around by Morgan Vega is a powerful reflection on stability, the concept of home, and the heavy baggage we all must sometimes carry. As an intimate coming-of-age tale, this young adult novel highlights the impact the foster care system can have on the mindset and psychological wellbeing of children, and the adults they become. Driven by a complex narrator and woven together with unassuming, conversational prose, the target audience for this book may be older teens moving into a new chapter of life, but the intense themes will resonate with older readers as well. ★★★★.5
—Self-Publishing Review
Must read. Excellent writing and a nuanced and multifaceted plot make this coming of age story a highly recommended read for older young adults. ★★★★★
—Reedsy Discovery
A masterpiece of early college angst, complicated friendships, young love, and overcoming trauma. The author expertly weaves together multiple themes, carefully framing difficult subjects—homosexuality, religious trauma, foster care, insecurity—into an accessible, charming novel . . . A fabulously written slice-of-life story about a girl finding herself.
—Publisher’s Weekly, The BookLife Prize
Coralee’s history in the foster system makes her struggles to find a safe place on campus all the more realistic, and a major theme of Vega’s novel is the protagonist’s quest to figure out where she belongs—with her foster family, with Emma or Dylan, or with any of her roommates. The author does a fine job of capturing just what it’s like to be a college freshman—constantly meeting new people, living in complex dorm situations, and running around campus to get to classes. Music theory references are well integrated and help to show Coralee’s passion for the violin . . . The ending is solid and satisfying.
—KIRKUS
This is a charming, engaging tale. There are so many golden aspects here, including the perspective of foster care, the devotion of a musical genius, the social aspects of entering college, and so much more. All of this is offered through an intimate perspective of Coralee allows for an interesting story that will hopefully either inspire young readers to try the violin or pursue a craft that can elevate their life. The combination of so many different elements allows this narrative to be a special novel that would be difficult to find elsewhere. Vega does a great job to get several balls in the air and juggle them through the end of the story.
—Writer’s Digest Competitions
News
Interviewed by Publisher’s Weekly BookLife
Publisher’s Weekly interviewed Morgan Vega about Sleeping Around, foster care, music, and what she’s working on next.
Featured in the Madison Magazine
James Madison University featured Sleeping Around in their alumni magazine, Madison Magazine, on page 56.
Highlighted by The News Virginian
Newspaper The News Virginian highlighted Sleeping Around in the article, “Weyers Cave Author Morgan Vega Donating Proceeds from Her First Book to Charity.”
Spotlighted in Humankind News Article
Humankind spotlighted Sleeping Around in the news article, “Local Debut Author Donating to HumanKind Foster Care.”
Included in James Madison University News Article
James Madison University included Sleeping Around in the news article, “Warm up with these JMU reads,” a list of published books by alumni.
Morgan Vega 