Charming.
A wish for the perfect boyfriend causes a teen to rethink all her plans.
Seventeen-year-old South Indian American Deepa Josyula is on a mission to have the “perfect Edison High School experience.” She and best friend Lily even have The List filled with items to accomplish. But Deepa’s junior year isn’t going according to plan, thanks to a disastrous day that includes romantic rejection and being paired on a student council project with childhood nemesis (and neighbor) Vikram Mehta. Luckily, Amamma, her grandmother, gifts her the last jasmine bloom from their garden. According to Amamma, it’ll grant her heart’s greatest desire. Skeptical Deepa wishes for the boyfriend of her dreams. Enter Rohit D’Souza, the very handsome new boy next door, who not only looks just like the inspiration photo for her perfect boyfriend but also ticks off very specific details from The List. Deepa might have become a believer. To prove to the universe that she’s “earned the blessing” she’s been granted, Deepa creates a plan to woo Rohit. But is “picture perfect” enough? And what of the boy who’s always been next door? Caught up in her penchant for planning, Deepa will need to live in the moment and learn that a little chaos can be OK—great even. Filled with classic rom-com scenarios, this novel has plenty to delight readers. Deepa makes for an engaging lead, and her journey toward embracing uncertainty is satisfying.
Charming. (Romance. 12-18)Pub Date: Feb. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780063279155
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2023
Exactly what the title promises.
A grieving teen’s devotion to romance films might ruin her chances at actual romance.
Liz Buxbaum has always adored rom-coms, not least for helping her still feel close to her screenwriter mother, who died when she was little. Liz hopes that her senior year might turn into a real-life romantic fantasy, as an old crush has moved back to town, cuter and nicer than ever. Surely she can get Michael to ask her to prom. If only Wes, the annoying boy next door, would help her with her scheming! This charming, fluffy concoction manages to pack into one goofy plot every conceivable trope, from fake dating to the makeover to the big misunderstanding. Creative, quirky, daydreaming Liz is just shy of an annoying stereotype, saved by a dry wit and unresolved grief and anger. Wes makes for a delightful bad boy with a good heart, and supporting characters—including a sassy best friend, a perfect popular rival, even a (not really) evil stepmother—all get the opportunity to transcend their roles. The only villain here is Liz’s lovelorn imagination, provoking her into foolish lies that cause actual hurt feelings; but she is sufficiently self-aware to make amends just in time for the most important trope of all: a blissfully happy ending. All characters seem to be White by default.
Exactly what the title promises. (Romance. 12-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-6762-0
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK TO SCREEN
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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