Infectious queer joy—and romance—worth cheering about.
A cheer captain enters into a secret relationship with a new recruit.
As a squad, the Oak Haven Hornets “could not be gayer if a rainbow itself spat us from its womb.” But when a straight student doesn’t make the squad and alleges discrimination, the coach gives cheer captain Davie, a white girl who struggles with anxiety, an ultimatum: Add a straight cheerleader to the ranks or lose funding. Davie thinks she’s found a “perfect straight” in Kendall, the newest squad member’s older sister. Plot twist: Kendall, who’s cued Black, is bi “as hell.” To make matters worse, Kendall and Davies’ attraction is mutual—and hard to keep quiet. As the pair’s budding relationship heats up under everyone’s noses, the squad hits more roadblocks on their way to nationals. Even if the team makes it, will their relationship ever get to be public? Following their collaboration for 2025’s Call Your Boyfriend, Cole and Woodfolk team up for another Sapphic rom-com that seamlessly alternates between first-person narrative voices. The diverse cast of side characters encompass a variety of skin tones and sexualities, creating a strong sense of queer found family. The overall atmosphere is refreshingly affirming and lighthearted despite the presence of buffoonish villains who exemplify bigoted values. The co-authors also don’t shy away from exploring important themes, including making assumptions about others’ identities, bi erasure, and what it truly means for a space to be safe.
Infectious queer joy—and romance—worth cheering about. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: May 19, 2026
ISBN: 9781665967341
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2026
A light and entertaining plot-driven romance.
A Connecticut girl and her best friend devise a series of plans in order to achieve their goals: following a dream and winning back an ex.
Eighteen-year-old Audrey Barbour has a Master Plan: attend Blue Ridge Glass School in North Carolina and someday turn her Etsy shop, Golightly Glass, into a thriving business. But her uber-wealthy parents insist that she instead follow in their footsteps and go to business school. So Audrey decides to go find the tuition money she needs with help from her best friend, Henry Chen. Henry needs a favor, too: He hopes that fake dating Audrey will help him win back his ex-girlfriend, and he points out to a reluctant Audrey that this could make her crush, Griffin, notice her. While Audrey’s parents vacation in France for three weeks, the pair rent out the Barbour mansion on the Long Island Sound. Soon romantic chemistry grows alongside their business partnership. Despite the pair’s great preparation and an abundance of secondary characters with connections and talents to help pull off their increasingly ambitious ideas, plans go awry, leaving Audrey and Henry scrambling and second-guessing their choices. The pacing is even, but the characters often take a back seat to the whirlwind of activity that drives the plot, with the emphasis falling on each person’s practical skills and their role in keeping the action moving over their emotional bonds. Audrey is white, and Henry’s surname cues him as Chinese American.
A light and entertaining plot-driven romance. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: March 31, 2026
ISBN: 9780593904794
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Delacorte Romance
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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