THE FREE VERSE SOCIETY

An undeniable connection sparks between two high school juniors who appear to be worlds apart.

Janelle “Jae” Aƒenyo has a secret: She gave birth to a baby girl and placed her child in an adoptive home. Now, after moving from Georgia to Florida to live with her wealthy uncle, Rowan, 16-year-old Jae, who’s Black with a Ghanaian father, hopes to find a new identity that goes beyond teen motherhood. But she never expected to meet Derek Patel, a talented white and Indian soccer player and the reigning class rebel. He’s as handsome as he is infuriatingly contradictory, and Jae can sense there’s something deeper—even wounded—behind Derek’s prickly facade. The two join the school’s poetry club for different reasons: Jae as a potential source of friends, Derek as an alternative to community service. Jae is upset to see Derek there, but she gradually falls for him and faces the frightening question: Can she resist being overcome by her feelings? Adjoa’s debut is as emotionally rich as it is narratively layered. Jae and Derek’s relationship is built with care and realism; their eventual trust is rooted in understanding, a love of creativity, and the shared experience of having non-white fathers who didn’t fully pass on their cultures to their children. The author explores heavy topics like addiction, parental death, and domestic abuse with nuance.

A touching, vulnerable romance navigating gut-wrenching conflict to deliver the ultimate relief of catharsis.