Different takes on coming-of-age

 

Love and Other Great Expectations
By Becky Dean
Publisher: Delacorte Press (June 14, 2022)
Hardcover: 384 pages
ISBN-10: 0593429427
ISBN-13: 978-0593429426
Reading age: 12 - 17 years
Lexile measure: HL600L
Grade level: 7 - 9
 
Publisher’s Blurb:

An American girl embarks on a competitive scavenger hunt in England—and along the way, meets up with a bookish British boy who can't help her with the clues . . . but might make the trip take some unexpected turns.

Britt Hanson has always preferred scoring goals on the soccer field to analyzing dusty old books. But when an injury ends her dream to play in college, she jumps at the chance to compete in a scavenger hunt in England that takes her to the locations of classic novels—the prize money would change her life!

Once in the UK she meets bookish and very British Luke Jackson. He can’t actually help her with any of the clues (against the rules), but something about Luke compels her to invite him to join her. She wouldn’t mind getting to know him—and listening to his accent.

To win, Britt must outsmart three competitors who aren’t afraid to play dirty while solving clues and traveling around the English countryside. Along the way, Britt learns that sometimes you have to follow the map and other times, you need to throw caution to the wind and see where the cobblestoned road leads you.

 My Thoughts:

A book about a literature-themed tour of England? What’s not to love?!?!

 Britt comes into the story with a definite chip on her shoulder. Her college soccer dreams have gone up in smoke due to a medical condition, and without that scholarship, she doesn’t know how she’s even going to manage college. When this opportunity comes up, she is determined to win the prize and secure her future. Problem is, she has faked her way through her literature classes, so she’s starting out at a deficit.

 Lucky for her, she meets Luke, who’s ready to do something crazy and unpredictable as he faces the death of some of his own dreams.

 Along the way, Britt learns lessons not only about literature, but also about herself and her tendency to jump to conclusions about people. She’s able to not only kindle a relationship with Luke, but also to rekindle a childhood friendship. She learns who she is without soccer, and how to deal with parental expectations.

I love that Dean didn’t Americanize all the British terminology, instead smoothly incorporating explanations. The only place she let me down was continuing to call them “fries” instead of chips.

 Speaking of food, Dean gave us quite a culinary tour! Fish and chips, pasties, Ribena, and so many beloved snack foods!

 I had a couple of minor quibbles. How on earth did she get a passport in only a month?!? And the mention Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales being written in Old English. It wasn’t. Beowulf was Old English. Chaucer wrote in Middle English.

 All in all, though, it’s a fun story with a satisfying ending.

 Possible Objectionable Material:

Medical issues. Kissing. Going to pubs (totally okay for 18-year-olds in the UK). Parental abandonment. Cheating.

 Who Might Like This Book:

Lovers of Britain, British food, literature, and coming of age.

 Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

 

Picture Perfect Boyfriend
By Becky Dean
Publisher: Delacorte Press (May 23, 2023)
Paperback: 384 pages
ISBN-10: 0593569911
ISBN-13: 978-0593569917
Reading age: 12 - 17 years
Lexile measure: HL650L
Grade level: 7 - 9
 
Publisher’s Blurb:

Two strangers, one tropical island, and lots of lies in this funny beach romance from the author of Love & Other Great Expectations!

Aspiring nature photographer Kenzie Reed just can’t get her straitlaced family of optometrists to take her art seriously. She’s resigned to putting aside her dreams and accepting the depressing life that awaits her at the family business. She even makes up a fake, boring boyfriend—Jacob—to get her parents off her back.

But when the Reeds arrive in Hawaii for spring break, Kenzie is shocked that "Jacob" shows up at the airport—and joins their vacation. Kenzie can’t reveal him as a fraud without confessing her lie, so she’s stuck playing along while trying to find out who he really is.

No way is she going to actually fall for him—because even though he’s funny, nice, smart, and cute, he’s also a liar. Isn’t he?

Filled with warm summer breezes and salty sea air, Becky Dean’s Picture-Perfect Boyfriend will sweep you off your feet into a tropical paradise, sun on your shoulders—where love is just around a palm tree.

 My Thoughts:

In her second outing, Becky Dean gives us another look at a teen dealing with discovering just who she is and what she wants out of life. This time, we have Kenzie, who is tired of being compared to her “perfect” older sister, and tired of having her parents pooh-pooh her love for photography. So she has remade herself into what she thinks they want her to be. Including inventing a boyfriend similar to the man her sister is dating.

 Imagine her surprise when said boyfriend turns up in the flesh for the family vacation to Hawaii!

 And thus the Big Lie goes on. Jacob won’t tell Kenzie much about himself, except that he has reasons for being in Hawaii. He does a great job of being her boyfriend, living up to all the things she had told her family about him, and is welcomed into the group.

 As time passes, of course, the lie becomes harder to maintain. And Kenzie finds that giving up her passion for photography isn’t as easy as she thought. (I mean…Hawaii…it just kind of BEGS you to take pictures, yeah?)

 As Kenzie learns more about Jake and about herself, her guilt for her deception grows. When the lie is exposed, Jake’s identity isn’t the only hard truth that gets exposed.

 Supporting cast in this story are great. Kenzie’s parents are frustrating in their blindness over just who Kenzie really is. Her grandmother is a hoot (maybe a bit over-the-top, but fun!). Descriptions of their adventures in Hawaii are vivid. I haven’t been there yet, but boy, do I want to go.

 Possible Objectionable Material:

Lying to parents. Kissing. Parent issues. A secret sibling.

 Who Might Like This Book:

Fans of photography, Hawaii, and coming of age stories.

 

 Hearts Overboard
By Becky Dean
Publisher: Delacorte Romance (July 9, 2024)
Paperback: 384 pages
ISBN-10: 059364784X
ISBN-13: 978-0593647844
Lexile measure: HL660L
Grade level: 7 - 9
 
Publisher’s Blurb:

Set sail with this banter-filled rivals-to-lovers romance between a STEM-loving girl and a jock guy that will fill you with wanderlust...and have you rooting for love in the great outdoors!

Love is on the horizon...

After a very public breakup during which her ex, Caleb, tells her she is both (a) boring and (b) stuck in her ways, Savannah Moore decides that going with her mom on her company cruise to Alaska presents the perfect opportunity to show people how fun she is.

It won’t be easy, though. Her longtime nemesis, Tanner Woods, is also on the ship. His family and Savannah's are friends, and Tanner knows her better than she’d like to admit. When he learns of her plan, Tanner wants to help, and he encourages her to try everything: zip-lining and dogsledding, hiking the bear-infested Alaskan wilderness, singing late night karaoke, and taking a polar plunge. That’ll show Caleb just what he’s missing.

Except after spending so much time with Tanner, Savannah’s not sure Caleb is the one she wants anymore...

 My Thoughts:

Becky Dean is back with her trademark coming-of-age story of a daughter who is trying to discover herself and how she fits into her family and her world. Savannah is high-strung and anxious. She loves predictability and routine. But she’s also tired of being boring.

 Enter Tanner, her long-time frenemy. They’ve been forced together throughout their childhood, since their mothers are co-workers and best friends. She hates the nickname he gave her—S’Moore (S. Moore…her name…my daughter and I loved it)—and sees him as kind of a doofus. He’s constantly dropping the ball, and his parents have very low expectations of him, and yet his grades and hers are pretty comparable.

 Surprisingly, Tanner offers to help her become less boring in a quest to get her boyfriend back. He’s right there with her, coaching her through all the scary things she does, and giving her a glimpse of the depths he keeps hidden from the rest of the family.

 Once again, Dean is spot-on in her descriptions of feelings and adventures. She does a great job of peeling back the layers and exposing the characters not only as they are, but as they are on the road to becoming. She has become an auto-request for me!

 Possible Objectionable Material:

Kissing. Some potentially dangerous situations, but nothing severe. Some deceiving of parents.

 Who Might Like This Book:

Those who like Alaska travel, cruises, coming of age, characters with anxiety.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.