As we approach the end of the school year, I like to recommend summer beach reads. I really enjoy teen romances that are also informative about an unfamiliar topic. This month I learned about a rescue the whales initiative, cooking show politics, robotics competitions and the world of K-pop. The Edge of Summer by Erica George focuses on a grieving teen who takes a marine biology internship on Cape Cod in order to fulfill a wish list she created with her deceased best friend. Love from Scratch by Kaitlyn Hill takes place in Seattle at the offices of an online cooking channel, where teen interns Reese and Benny vie for a job and each others' hearts. My Mechanical Romance by Alexene Farol Follmuth finds a reluctant physics student joining her school's robotics team, where she struggles with gender prejudice, as well as her attraction to the team's captain. Once Upon a K-Prom by Kat Cho introduces Elena Soo and Robbie Cho, childhood friends who had promised to be each other's prom dates. Then he moved to Korea and ghosted her when he became a K-Pop star. Much to her surprise, he returns to America with an elaborate prom-posal which she rejects.
In The Edge of Summer Coriander (Cor) Cabot and her best friend Ella had been obsessed with saving the whales since they were kids. When Ella drowns after they have a falling out, Cor is determined to complete a "to do" list they wanted to accomplish before college. Cor accepts a marine biology internship on Cape Cod for the summer and meets and falls for Mannix, a local lifeguard whose father is a struggling fisherman. Her focus on rescuing humpback whales from entanglement conflicts with the fishing industry. She is particularly interested in a whale known as "Fraction" for her mangled tail that Cor and Ella had noticed as kids. Knowing that her romance with Mannix could end with the summer, she tries to focus on her goals but cannot resist his charms. The detailed information about the "Save the Whales" effort is interwoven with the story, making this a fascinating, as well as romantic read.
Love from Scratch finds Southern belle Reese Camden working as a summer marketing intern for "Friends of Flavor," an online food-lovers channel. She is hoping for a job with the company when the internship ends. Her main competition for the job is Benny Beneventi, the culinary intern. When their bosses pair Benny and Reese for a spot on "Piece of Cake: Amateur Hour," their episode goes viral. Benny, whose family owns a restaurant, is the better chef, but Reese's antics as his sidekick charm viewers who beg for more episodes. The company gives them their own show and sparks fly. Benny falls for Reese, but she resists his flirting, knowing they are competitors and she is unlucky in love. The "will they or won't they" romance is paired with Reese's feminist commentary on the sexism in the food world for a fun informative read.
The world of competitive high school robotics is explored in My Mechanical Romance. Filipino transfer student Isabel (Bel) Maier enters Essex Academy for Art and Science Technology, having no plans for her future. When she unwittingly captures the attention of Mateo Luna, captain of the robotics and soccer teams, by creating an ingenious egg drop design, she reluctantly switches to AP Physics and joins the robotics team. Even though she has Mateo's support, her male teammates dismiss her ideas, and even Neelam Dasari, the only other girl on the team, shuns her. Her engineering prowess and her knack for building things keep her engaged, even as she clashes with Mateo and her teammates over her unorthodox ideas. As her relationship with Mateo becomes romantic, they struggle to navigate new love amidst the cutthroat world of the robotics competition. Even as Bel shows there is a place for women in the STEM world, she realizes that she needs to be more of a team player. This is an upbeat romantic comedy with great chemistry between Bel and Mateo and a sympathetic supporting cast.
Once Upon a K-Prom is an entertaining rom-com that sheds light on the K-Pop world and the pressure put on its stars. Elena Soo and Robbie Choi were childhood best friends, who agreed to go to their high school prom together when they were ten. Then Robbie moved to Korea and ghosted Elena when he became a famous K-pop star. Seven years later, Elena is running an unpopular "alterna-prom" initiative, campaigning for students to spend their prom money to help a local community center. When Robbie reappears with an elaborate prom-posal, Elena is understandably embarrassed and flees. Robbie continues to pursue her, hoping to rekindle their friendship, but she wonders if it is just a PR gimmick to promote his K-pop career. Told in alternating perspectives, the story unfolds with Elena warming towards Robbie, as he volunteers with her at the community center and aids her fundraising efforts. There are several recent YA titles that focus on the K-pop and K-drama world, revealing the pressure that the stars are under and how controlled their world really is. Elena and Robbie are believable characters that give the reader a window onto the complications arising from K-pop stars trying to have a relationship "offline."
