Go to University, they said. It will be fun, they said.

Well, that is to be determined. The year is 2014.

Melanie Billow is fresh out of high school and leaves home for the next logical step: college. With a job at the family business awaiting her return, Melanie follows her mom’s footsteps to become a successful businesswoman.

Someday. First, Melanie must navigate freshmen year in a Midwest college town hours from everything she has ever known.

Little does Melanie know what looms ahead of her: independence, shifting friendships, complicated romance, and senseless party and bar scenes. It’s all fun and games until you’re pulling all-nighters and need caffeine to survive the day.

Not everyone copes with their stress and trauma in a healthy way too. University, a 21st-century coming-of-age story, gives an honest perspective of a college freshman’s turbulent first year.

M. M.

Bylo unapologetically but carefully navigates heavy topics, bringing readers to the frontlines of college and the beginning of adulthood. Incorporating her own and others’ experiences, she shows a glimpse into these difficult but rewarding years.

~ ~ ~Trigger And Content Warnings: 18+ years of age is recommended. Trigger Warning: sexual assault (not in detail, some PTSD episodes), suicide (not shown), portrayal of mental illness (depression, anxiety, and some PTSD), and references to disordered eating.

Content Warning: fade to black sexual scenes (no foreplay), college partying, hookups, substance abuse, drug and alcohol usage. .