Gumdrops For Lauren

Lauren Bates has always been on the outside looking in.

While the popular kids rule the school halls, Lauren spends her summer covered in grease at her dad’s service station, quietly wishing she could be someone—anyone—else. Popularity feels just out of reach… even when a handsome, mysterious new student suddenly starts paying attention to her.

 

Then everything changes.

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Swept away from her ordinary life, Lauren lands in Candylot—a dazzling, dangerous world made entirely of candy and edible sweets. Beneath its sugary surface lurk strange rules, monstrous creatures, and challenges that test more than just her courage. Along the way, Lauren forms unexpected friendships and discovers strengths she never knew she had.

 

As Candylot pushes her to confront what she truly wants, Lauren must decide what matters most:
the approval she’s chased her whole life—or learning her own worth.

 

Whimsical, heartfelt, and adventurous, Gumdrops For Lauren is a story about belonging, bravery, and discovering that fitting in might mean finally standing out.