THE BECKETT EFFECT

A Virginia teen vows to destroy the social capital of the popular boy who broke her sister’s heart.

Wren Richardson, a Black high school senior, is ready to leave predominantly white Ryland Prep behind. She and her Salvadoran best friend, Chelsie, plan to move to Los Angeles and carve out film careers. But first, they need to pass their Studies in Film and Literature class. Wren’s “dream course” is quickly ruined by the arrival of Beckett Lane, who’s Samoan and implied white. Unlike her younger sister, Kennedy, and most of the other girls at school, Wren is immune to Beckett’s spell. She clocks him for who he really is: a womanizing nepo baby (his father was an actor in a popular TV series). When Kennedy is rejected by Beckett at a house party and a video humiliating her is posted to social media, an incensed Wren promises to avenge her sister by making a scathing documentary exposing Beckett’s true nature. But as she forges ahead with Operation Expose Beckett, she starts to question whether the Beckett she knows is just a mask. With the effortless charm of a classic teen rom-com, this story about miscommunication and misguided prejudices features nuanced character development and a well-earned payoff in the final act. Wren’s family dynamics present realistic challenges, and her relationship with Beckett shows how they help each other grow.

An effervescent romance that captures the rush of feeling not only seen but known.