Finding Felicity

January 1, 2018

Gr 10 Up-An engaging, realistic fiction with a nod to Felicity, a popular late 90s show. The first chapters begin as Caroline graduates from high school and her mother surprises her with a party that none of her classmates attend. This kicks off a chain of events that could alter her envisioned future forever. An introvert, Caroline believes she's fine, just unable to easily connect with her peers, but her mother insists on therapy after finding out that Caroline has made up an entire life for herself-friends, circumstances, relationships-all based on her favorite TV show. If she doesn't start making connections her first semester at college, more therapy and living at home will be the result. The teen is desperate to prove that she can obtain a "normal' life, even as she's dreaming of meeting her "perfect" boyfriend, much like Felicity's relationship with her boyfriend, Ben, in the show. Caroline finds out quickly that real life will take lot more of her participation and hurt than she's comfortable with, but may very possibly be worth it. Although the story line doesn't take a deep look at the mental health issues present here, Caroline does continue with her therapy sessions long-distance and she is more aware of her problems and combats them in a healthy way as the story progresses. VERDICT Older teens and YA readers will readily enjoy this book, connect with the cast of characters, and most likely bingewatch Felicity in the near future. A strong choice for most collections.-Meghan Oppelt, Whitehall School District, WI

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2018
An anxious, lonely introvert discovers that the most fulfilling friendships can't be planned.Caroline Sands has always been intensely socially awkward; she's never been able to cultivate healthy long-term friendships. Several years ago, Caroline and her mother relocated from New York to Arizona, a move the white girl thought would solve her problems. She'd finally make friends and fit in. Sadly, the new high school graduate is as lonely as ever. To appease her worried, overbearing mother, Caroline created a vibrant social life for herself, borrowing characters from the late-1990s TV drama Felicity. In reality, Caroline spends hours snuggled up to her computer watching its reruns. Now that Caroline herself is off to college, she's determined to become the person she knows she can be--college is her chance to "get it right." Her plan? Befriend her longtime unrequited love, popular white boy Liam (like Felicity, she chose her college based on the decision of her crush), and his friends will be hers. Predictably, it doesn't work out that way. Caroline's melancholic voice narrates the ups and downs of a rarely easy life transition that can be all the more difficult for an anxious introvert like her. While her "coping mechanism" (as her therapist calls it) is comical, the narrative takes Caroline's anxiety seriously and treats her respectfully.Readers struggling with self-esteem, loneliness, and isolation will find a kindred spirit in Caroline; others will find empathy for that classmate who sits alone at lunch. (Fiction. 14-18)

COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 15, 2018
Lonely, college-bound Caroline is obsessed with Felicity, the late ’90s television show about a girl who follows her crush to college. And because her high school social life is virtually nonexistant, she has been lying to her mother for years, pretending the show’s characters are her real-life friends. When Caroline’s mother learns the truth, she worries that her daughter isn’t ready to leave home just yet. But after agreeing to Skype sessions with a therapist, Caroline is off to Ashmore University, the school of her dreams—along with her own crush, Liam (“He’s my Ben”). Kade (For This Life Only) throws plenty of wrenches into Caroline’s plan to reinvent herself as someone less socially awkward, but she offers Caroline lifelines, too, including a second chance with Liam and a potential romance with another boy. This novel about romantic indecision and starting over at college should please adult readers who enjoyed the show in its heyday, as well as today’s teens for whom it’s a cultural artifact. Ages 14–up. Agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary & Media.