A high school girl falls in love with an alien prince in this first book of an SF romance series by Moss, the author of Nothing at All (2020).

Summer vacation starts badly for 17-year-old Julie Greenmoss when her boyfriend of one year cheats on her. She’s an artist who takes solace in books and drawing, and is outside the local library when she first sees Seth, a 20-something who’s so strikingly handsome that she feels compelled to sketch him from afar. She’s doing so when their eyes meet, and something changes within her. Her depression lifts further after she befriends Remy, a lost dog, and takes it home. She crosses paths several more times with Seth, and finally meets him properly when it turns out that he’s the canine’s rightful owner. Remy, however, seems to prefer Julie, and keeps coming back to her; as a result, Julie end up spending even more time with Seth, with whom romance blossoms, and also meets his 8-year-old brother, Matt. It turns out that the siblings have secrets: Matt is telekinetic, and they both come from another world. Can Seth and Julie’s relationship survive more secrets? Moss writes mostly from Julie’s perspective but occasionally from Seth’s. The dialogue is stylized in the manner of TV shows, preferring eloquent banter over strict realism. Nonetheless, Moss successfully gets across the voice of a real teen girl in Julie’s thoughts, if not always in her speech. Julie’s a likable character with relatable insecurities, but also a strong sense of self. Seth isn’t particularly distinct as her love interest, although his alien background adds a certain intrigue. The minor characters are well realized, and the SF plot goes in some unexpected directions. The romance leans on occasional tropes that readers may find off-putting—most notably, love at first sight. For the most part, though, Julie and Seth’s story is rather charming, and the innocent strength of their relationship makes it easy to root for.

Gentle escapism with an otherworldly touch.