February 1, 2023
Sloane McKinney finds herself unexpectedly filming a teen reality dating show, vying for the affection of a popular actor while questioning her changing feelings for her best friend, Liam Daniels. It's the summer before her senior year, and Sloane is leaving Knoxville, Tennessee, to spend the break with Liam and his TV producer father at their home in Los Angeles. Eager to fill an empty slot on his newest reality dating project, Liam's father bribes Sloane with assistance getting into a screenwriting program if she participates--and makes it into the top four out of the 25 contestants. She agrees but finds herself confused about her feelings for Liam, who is on set as a production assistant, when she should be vying for the attention of handsome actor Aspen Woods, the star of Aspen Woods's Future Leading Lady or AWFLL, as Liam likes to think of it. Each chapter alternates between Sloane's and Liam's first-person perspectives. The attraction between the two simmers in just the right way, and the scenes showing their genuine connection and interest in each other are highlights of the book. Some events are a bit hard to believe, but readers won't get too hung up on these plot points. The star of this story is Sloane and Liam's deep friendship and budding romance. Central characters are presumed White. An absorbing, well-drawn read about a meaningful friendship and growing passion. (Romance. 12-18)
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February 13, 2023
In this lighthearted rom-com by Hill (Love from Scratch), childhood best friends Sloane McKinney and Liam Daniels haven’t seen each other in over two years when they reunite for a whirlwind summer in Los Angeles. Aspiring screenwriter Sloane—who dreams of moving from her Knoxville, Tenn., home to work in TV and film in L.A. after high school—can’t wait to visit Liam and experience the city. And while Liam is excited to spend the summer catching up with Sloane, he’s instead coerced into working for his father as a production assistant on a teen reality dating show, Aspen Woods’s Future Leading Lady, where 25 contestants vie for the chance to romance dreamy actor Aspen Woods. But the show is missing a participant and, in exchange for his help getting her into a prestigious screenwriting program, Liam’s father persuades Sloane to take the final slot. There’s no doubting Sloane and Liam’s inevitable romance, facilitated by palpable chemistry and a low-conflict plot. With snappy dialogue, bouncy narrative beats, distinctly rendered alternating perspectives, and emotional turmoil in place of dramatic stakes, Hill delivers a zealous romance in this relaxed read. The protagonists read as white. Ages 12–up. Agent: Laura Crockett, Triada US.
April 1, 2023
Grades 10-12 Sloane and Liam have been best friends since childhood, though they've spent the last five years living across the country from each other. But this year, they're 17, and Sloane, an aspiring screenwriter who's starting to worry about her future, has come to stay with Liam and his producer dad in L.A. for the summer. Liam, meanwhile, knows he wants a career in woodworking, but his dad pressures him to become a PA on his new reality dating show for the summer. As Sloane and Liam ignore how attractive they're suddenly finding each other, the reality show winds up a contestant short, and Sloane finds herself sucked into it as well, competing for the heart of the star of her favorite teen drama. There's been a flurry of reality-show romances in the new-adult space, and this one succeeds because of its strong depictions of friendship--not just Sloane and Liam's, but in the connections, instead of rivalries, that Sloane forges with the other girls on the show. A winner, no question.
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