ALWAYS NEVER YOURS

A young woman reluctantly cast as Juliet stumbles across her own real-life Romeo.

Bold senior Megan Harper is known for directing student theater productions and being a self-proclaimed boy-crazy flirt. But Megan isn’t ever “the one”: Most of her seven ex-boyfriends have met their true loves right after leaving her—including Tyler, who is now with her accomplished best friend, Madeleine. Despite Megan’s messy home life (she lives in Oregon with her dad, his pregnant wife, and their toddler, while her mom lives in Texas with her boyfriend), she has one post-graduation goal: attending a prestigious directing program. Because she needs one acting credit for her application, Megan auditions for the smallest role in her school’s production of Romeo and Juliet—but ends up as the female lead opposite Tyler. The play offers the prospect of wooing Will, one of the stagehands, and, realizing he’s friends with the new drama kid, Owen Okita, she cozies up to him in order to find out more about her latest crush, not realizing that her perfect match was right under her nose all along. Megan and Owen’s flirty, whip-smart banter is irresistible, and it’s refreshing to see a swoonworthy Asian male love interest. Owen is Japanese-American and Megan's best friend is a biracial (African-American and Mexican) boy; other major characters are white.

Charming characters and an enchanting exploration of Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy make this husband-and-wife duo’s debut a must-read.