The latest revision of my book What's New in Young Adult Novels? and Ideas for Classroom Use is now available. Just click on the book icon in the upper right corner of my blog and it will take you to Lulu.com where you can purchase this book. I would like to take this opportunity to thank NetGalley for providing ARCs of many of the new young adult novels that I review. Four new books that are coming out at the beginning of 2023, I categorize as candy bar books. These are books that are fun reads about fairly superficial issues such as boyfriend/girlfriend problems, strict parents, or cliques/popularity issues. Frequently, they are told in first person and the voice is very characteristic of how teenagers speak. Begin Again by Emma Lord finds Andie Rose, an aspiring advice columnist, transferring to her dream college, only to find her boyfriend has transferred to her community college to be with her. As she navigates the struggles of a long distance relationship, she blossoms in her new role providing anonymous advice on a pirate radio station. The Love Match by Priyanka Taslim introduces Zahra Khan, who defers college after her father dies and begins working at a Pakistani tea shop. As her mother tries to find her a suitable match, Zahra finds herself attracted to a co-worker, a recent immigrant from Bangladesh. The Wrong Kind of Weird by James Ramos explores the conflict between geek enthusiasm and the need to conform, as Cameron, a member of Geeks and Nerds United has a secret fling with his school's popular It-Girl. French Kissing in New York by Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau is a fun romp with an aspiring French chef, who is pursuing a NYC restaurant career, as well as a romance with a NYC boy she met in Paris. After a magical night together, they agree to meet at midnight in Times Square one year later, ala An Affair to Remember.
Begin Again introduces Andie Rose, who hopes to study psychology at Blue Ridge State, where her deceased mother pioneered the college's pirate radio station. When she is rejected, she enrolls at Little Fells Community College, while Connor, her boyfriend, goes to Blue Ridge. In a comedy of errors, she gets the opportunity to transfer, only to learn that Connor transferred to Little Fells so they could be together. As they struggle to maintain a long-distance relationship, Andie finds herself blossoming when she gets the chance to headline the radio's anonymous advice program. As she navigates her problems, including a difficult statistics class and a demoralizing emotional mishap, she finds herself seeking out her surly RA, Milo Flynn, who always seems to appear when she needs help. Although the romantic triangle is a familiar trope, the humor and sympathetic heroine make this a satisfying read.
In The Love Match Zahra Khan, an aspiring author, defers her acceptance to Columbia University, when her father's death puts the family in financial straits. She takes a job at a Pakistani tea shop Chai Ho, as her mother plots to match her with a suitable Bangladeshi boy, Harun Emon. Though she and Harun have no interest in each other, they agree to fake-date to placate their families. Meanwhile, Zahra begins secretly dating a co-worker, Nayim Aktar, a recent arrival from Bangladesh. But as her romance with Nayim heats up, she begins to find herself growing closer to Harun. The author authentically explores diverse South Asian Muslim identities, describing genuine practices that she experienced growing up in a Bangladeshi community in New Jersey. In this delightful Bengali Natok (drama) the question looms, "Will Zahra choose obligation or herself?"
The Wrong Kind of Weird finds Cameron Carson and his best friends members of a school club known as Geeks and Nerd United (GANU). After a clandestine summer romance with coffee shop co-worker Karla Ortega, the schools' queen bee, she and Cam agree to keep their hookups secret, while working together on the school's production of Pride and Prejudice. When he begins bonding over similar geeky interests with Mackenzie Briggs, his former nemesis and newest member of GANU, he wonders if he should end his dalliance with Karla, who continues to snub him in public. Although Cam's romantic entanglements are the focus of the story, the diverse cast of characters (black, Latine, queer, straight) make this an exploration of identity and learning to accept people across the divide of school cliques. The author, a self-proclaimed geek, realistically portrays geek enthusiasm conflicting with the need to fit in.
In French Kissing in New York Margot, an aspiring chef from a small French town, meets Zach, a tourist from NYC and enjoys a magical night of romance in Paris. Without exchanging contact information, they agree to meet a year later in Times Square at midnight, believing they are "meant to be." Margot is heading there after graduation to pursue her restaurant dreams. Her father lives in NYC and with her mother's help she lands a job at her dream restaurant. Unfortunately, her first day on the job finds her washing dishes when she is supposed to be meeting Zach. When she arrives late at Times Square, he is nowhere to be found. Heartbroken, Margot enlists the help of Ben, a line cook at the restaurant, to find Zach. Together, they explore NYC, seeing the sites and sampling delectable cuisine, as they follow clues from her night with Zach. This mash-up of the films An Affair to Remember and Serendipity is an authentic look at restaurant life, as well as a fun romp with a hopeless romantic, who is clueless when it comes to love.
