New YA Realistic Fiction

After publishing the 2018 revision of What's New in Young Adult Novels? and Ideas for Classroom Use and before moving on to reviewing 2019 titles, I want to recommend four 2018 realistic novels, which explore the theme of being true to oneself.  Rachel Cohn's latest My Almost Flawless Tokyo Dream Life follows a 16-year-old foster child to Japan where she had been sent to live with the father she's never met. Unclaimed Baggage by Jen Doll focuses on three teens who bond while working in a store that sells unclaimed luggage from airports.  In Stephanie Strohm's Love a la Mode two students meet and fall in love in culinary school in Paris. Finally Christina Hurley Deriso's Things I'd Rather Do than Die explores the relationship of a Christian athlete and an agnostic intellectual, who bond after being held at gunpoint and then locked together for several hours after a robbery.

In My Almost Flawless Tokyo Dream Life Elle Zoellner, who has been bouncing around in foster care since her mother's incarceration, finds her life changed overnight, when she is whisked away to Japan to live with the father she's never met.  Elle finds herself living in a 49th floor penthouse apartment and attending a prestigious international school with uber rich kids.  Her father, who is a hotel mogul, is distant and her aunt and grandmother downright rude.  But Elle embraces her new life, joining the track team and ingratiating herself with the popular "Ex-brats," of whom her dad approves.  When Elle begins crushing on a fellow teammate, who is on the outs with the Ex-brats, things begin to change and she struggles to navigate her newfound privileged life.  I really enjoyed this unconventional rags to riches story.

Unclaimed Baggage introduces Nell, who is devastated when she moves to Alabama, leaving her Chicago high school friends and boyfriend behind. She takes a job at a store that sells long lost luggage from airports, where she meets Doris and Grant.  Doris is an outspoken agnostic, making her an outcast in her bible belt community. Grant, whose football career is in jeopardy after a drunk driving accident, is struggling to deal with his alcoholism.  The three form a tentative friendship and begin working on their personal baggage.  The story is told in alternating voices, giving the reader insight into what each teen is going through.  When Nell's biracial boyfriend visits, he is assaulted and the three must come to terms with small town prejudice and where their loyalties lie.  The characters are well-drawn and sympathetic, making this a charming read.

Love a la Mode is set at a culinary school in Paris, where Henry and Rosie fall in love amidst the pressures of competitive cooking.  He is trying to prove himself and his dreams of becoming a chef to his strict Korean mother, who has other plans for his future.  Rosie, a pastry chef from rural Ohio, wonders if she is up to the challenge, as she has little experience with main course cuisine.  Their romance is thwarted by her cooking struggles and her flirtation with a fellow pastry chef, who is the school's celebrity chef owner's nephew. Witty banter, delectable portrayals of food obsessions and a rich cast of characters make this a winning rom-com that is a cut above.

Things I'd Rather Do Than Die is a catchy title that refers to one of the topics of conversion between high school seniors Jade Fulton and Ethan Garrett, when they are locked in a workout studio after being held at gunpoint at the gym where she works.  For eight hours they share confidences and begin to realize the stereotypical attitudes they had about each other were unfair.  She isn't just an agnostic intellectual and he isn't just a bible-toting dumb jock, as they formerly believed.  Once they are rescued, they return to their normal lives, but the bond they have formed is difficult to ignore, much to Ethan's girlfriend's annoyance.  As they deal with personal struggles, including Jade's dad's terminal diagnosis and Ethan's dad's alcoholism, they begin leaning on each other for support. The theme of being true to oneself is explored as they both reevaluate their goals and relationships. As Jade says, "If there is a God, maybe what he really values is people keeping an open mind."  Their thoughtful conversations and struggles with following their hearts make this a compelling read.