Listen to Your Heart

April 1, 2018

Gr 7 Up-Love is in the air and on the airwaves in this sweet romance. Still stinging from a breakup with her ex-boyfriend, introvert Kate Bailey must leave a summer job at her beloved lake where her parents manage a marina and return to school. There, she reluctantly takes a podcasting class with her best friend Alana, despite Kate's fears that she won't enjoy it. No one is more surprised than Kate when she inadvertently lands a role as cohost of the school's podcast, doling out advice to anonymous callers. However, she soon realizes that helping others isn't as awful as she'd feared, and she quickly collects fans of her snarky humor and tasteful advice. But when Alana's good-looking crush, Diego, calls asking for love advice, Kate is suddenly confused and words of wisdom fail her. Kate and Diego have adorable chemistry. West delivers banter with plenty of sparks as Kate steps up to the mic. The character's emotional growth will resonate with readers as she discovers courage and new confidence. There are no real surprises in the plot, but this novel still manages to be satisfying. VERDICT Give this to those who enjoy books with light romance and friendship, and to fans of Stephanie Perkins and Sarah Dessen.-Sandi Jones, Wynne High School, Wynne, AR

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2018
Kate Bailey, a white 16-year-old, lives in the small town of Lakesprings with her extended family on their lakefront property.Her best friend, Alana, who is Polynesian from Hawaii, has convinced Kate to enroll with her in a podcasting class. Kate expects to only do behind-the-scenes work, but when her topic, advice, is chosen by the teacher, Kate is expected to co-host the podcast. Meanwhile, Alana is interested in a handsome Latino classmate named Diego Martinez--and when Kate takes her cousin to tutoring, she discovers that Diego works there and tries to get to know him better so she can relay the information to Alana. When a boy calls into the podcast seeking love advice about a girl whom he's interested in, Kate is sure that it's Diego talking about his feelings for Alana. However, Kate slowly realizes her own romantic feelings for Diego--even though she is also trying to get over her ex-boyfriend, Hunter, who moved away and has fallen out of touch. Kate tries to abstain from telling Diego anything due to her friendship with Alana. While Kate becomes known for her straightforward advice on the podcast, she seems oblivious to the problems of people around her.West (Love, Life, and the List, 2018, etc.) creates a slow but tender story about friendship and love. (Romance. 12-18)

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April 15, 2018
Grades 8-11 Sensible teen Kate Bailey embraces the quietness found out on the lake, which is where she prefers to spend her time. Yet she's persuaded by best friend Alana to join the high school's podcast, and much to Kate's chagrin, she's chosen as host and is charged with doling out advice to fellow classmates. Kate's definitely outside her comfort zone, but she starts to enjoy the host duties. Things get tricky when an anonymous guy calls in looking for romance advice, and Kate quickly discovers that it's always easier to give advice to others than to follow it herself. In tune with West's previous output, the fun and lighthearted read features teenagers trying to navigate high school's emotional highways as they deal with schoolwork, romance, and friends. Serious but humorous Kate (along with outgoing Alana) keeps readers engaged as she tries to solve dilemmas in both the podcast and relationship spheres. An easy fit for those who like comfortable high-school romantic dramas.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)