HERE'S WHERE SHE MEETS PRINCE CHARMING

In Wright’s YA novel,sparks fly between two students cast in a high school musical.

Senior Natalie Tremayne has two passions—swimming and theater—and she’s hoping to land the role of Belle in her Virginia high school’s production of Beauty and the Beast. She’s disappointed when she’s cast in the secondary role of Mrs. Potts, instead, but she’s intrigued when Campbell Adams, a fellow senior on the swim team, is selected to play the Beast. Campbell, a handsome transfer student, keeps to himself and rarely interacts with anyone—with the exception of Natalie, who finds herself drawn to the endearing but taciturn teen. While Natalie navigates her feelings for him, she struggles with the expectations of her perfectionist mother and the pressure to impress college swimming scouts for the University of California, Berkeley, her dream school. When her relationship with Campbell turns serious, she becomes determined to unlock the mystery behind his unwillingness to open up to her; however, Campbell is keeping a secret that could change everything. This latest novel from Wright, author of The Darkest Web(2022), is an engaging YA romance that successfully balances the story of Natalie’s and Campbell’s nascent relationship with themes of parental expectations and responsibility. Natalie is a well-developed protagonist whose vision for her life after high school will resonate with readers. Her interactions with Campbell build methodically from their initial discussion on the day the musical is cast to their first date. The strong supporting cast notably features Noah Jones,a classmate angling for Campbell’s role in the play. Wright’s narrative brims with insight as well, as when Campbell suggests that Natalie’s acting immature during an argument: “He’d told me I was a child, which burned mainly because it was true. A child fights with her mother and can’t control herself. A child expects to live a life without a single wrinkle in her plans. A child expects nothing unexpected ever to happen.”

An earnest and entertaining teen romance.