Picture a storyteller who spins tales of love, loss, and self-discovery against the backdrop of a windswept island—meet Alexandra Coutts! This American Young Adult author, now calling Martha’s Vineyard home, has captured readers’ hearts with her poignant novels like Tumble & Fall and Young Widows Club. With a knack for crafting introspective characters and emotionally rich stories, Coutts invites teens and adults alike to explore the messy, beautiful journey of growing up.
From her Boston roots to her island life, Coutts’s unique voice shines through in her contemporary YA fiction. Her stories aren’t just about surviving heartbreak or impending doom—they’re about finding hope and connection when the world feels like it’s falling apart. Ready to dive into her world? Let’s explore the life and works of Alexandra Coutts!
The Making of Alexandra Coutts
Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Alexandra Bullen Coutts grew up in a nearby suburb, where she survived high school by immersing herself in reading and writing. Her love for stories led her to New York City, where she attended the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at NYU, drawn partly by its lack of math and science requirements. During college, she wrote a play, Wordsworth, about a single mother and her spelling bee champ son, which earned a production at The Cherry Lane Theater. This experience fueled her passion for storytelling, leading her to earn an MFA in Dramatic Writing from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where she honed her skills in playwriting, screenwriting, and television writing.
After nearly a decade in the hustle of NYC, Coutts traded city lights for the quiet of Martha’s Vineyard, where she lives with her husband and daughter. The island’s tight-knit community and serene setting have deeply influenced her writing, grounding her stories in rich, relatable settings that feel like characters themselves.
Alexandra Coutts’s Unforgettable Stories
Coutts’s novels are a masterclass in blending raw emotion with hope. Her debut, Wish (2010, published as Alexandra Bullen), introduces Olivia Larsen, a teen grieving her twin sister’s death. A magical dress grants Olivia one wish—bringing her sister back—sparking a heartfelt exploration of loss and second chances. Its sequel, Wishful Thinking (2011), follows adopted teen Hazel, who uses the dress to uncover her origins, weaving themes of identity and belonging.
In Tumble & Fall (2013), Coutts takes a bold leap into pre-apocalyptic fiction. Set on Martha’s Vineyard, the novel follows three teens facing an asteroid set to strike Earth in a week. Rather than action-packed heroics, Coutts focuses on quiet, life-affirming moments of love, family, and courage. Critics praised its depth, with School Library Journal calling it a standout for its hope-filled take on mortality. Young Widows Club (2015) is equally gripping, centering on Tamsen Baird, a 17-year-old widow navigating grief after her musician husband’s sudden death. Coutts paints a sympathetic portrait of Tam’s struggle to balance her past as a married adult with her return to teenage life, earning accolades from Booklist for its haunting resonance.
Coutts’s style is intimate and character-driven, with a lyrical quality that draws readers into her protagonists’ inner worlds. Her themes—grief, self-discovery, and resilience—resonate deeply with YA readers, while her island settings add a vivid, almost tangible backdrop. Whether it’s a magical dress or an impending apocalypse, Coutts uses extraordinary circumstances to explore universal truths about growing up.
Why Alexandra Coutts Matters
Alexandra Coutts’s impact lies in her ability to make the personal profoundly universal. Her novels speak to teens grappling with big questions—Who am I? How do I move forward after loss?—while offering hope and humanity. By setting her stories in the close-knit world of Martha’s Vineyard, she captures the power of community in healing and growth, a perspective that feels especially poignant in today’s fast-paced world. Her work has earned critical praise, with outlets like Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly lauding her authentic characters and emotional depth.
For YA readers and beyond, Coutts’s stories are a reminder that even in the face of heartbreak or uncertainty, there’s beauty in forging connections and finding one’s voice. Her relatively small but mighty bibliography has carved out a special place in contemporary YA literature, making her a hidden gem worth discovering.
- Born: Boston, Massachusetts
- Key Works: Wish (2010), Wishful Thinking (2011), Tumble & Fall (2013), Young Widows Club (2015)
- Education: BA from NYU’s Gallatin School, MFA in Dramatic Writing from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts
- Current Home: Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts
Snag Young Widows Club or Tumble & Fall and dive into Alexandra Coutts’s heartfelt YA world—where every page feels like a warm hug from a friend who gets it!