What Happens Now

May 30, 2016
Ari Logan is starting the summer before her senior year feeling stable, though the memory of the night she cut herself is still fresh. Now Camden Armstrong, the boy she pined after the previous summer, is showing interest in Ariâhe even shares her all-consuming obsession with an old science fiction TV show, Silver Arrow. Ari's summer romance is a thrilling distraction from her past and from her mother, who avoids addressing her own depression by focusing on work, leaving Ari and her stepfather to care for Ari's younger sister, Dani. Castle (You Look Different in Real Life) depicts the subtle complexities of familial and romantic relationships with vividness and sensitivity: Dani looks to Ari for all the things their mother neglects, and the joy of having a longtime crush reciprocate is palpable as Ari basks in Camden's attention and that of his friends. At the story's center, though, is Ari's steady growth as she learns to welcome new possibilities in her life. Ages 14âup. Agent: Jamie Weiss Chilton, Andrea Brown Literary.

April 1, 2016
Fantasy leads to a real romance a year after Ari sees a boy at the local lake. A traumatizing experience with a former boyfriend led her to cutting, but despite her wariness Ari remains strongly attracted to Camden. They live in the same small town in upstate New York but attend different schools, so the relationship exists in Ari's head for a year. But the following summer, a chance meeting leads to a party invitation, and it's clear that Camden is also attracted to Ari. Even better, it turns out that he's also a fan of her favorite sci-fi television series, and he and his friends wear their Silver Arrow costumes to the party. Bonding through fandom, they begin to spend time together, even indulging in Arrowhead cosplay at the county fair. There, however, Camden sees something that recalls a trauma of his own. Nevertheless, all seems well, and the romance progresses until Ari tells Camden about her previous summer's crash. After that, reality increasingly encroaches on fantasy, threatening the romance. Castle nicely balances Ari's admitted fantasy life and her interest in cosplay with the increasing intrusions of real, flawed personalities, including Ari's, into the fantasy. Not only Ari, but Camden, her friends, and her family undergo stress and conflict, until Ari and Camden finally make their own choices. Aside from dark-skinned, possibly biracial Camden, the cast is largely white. A sweet, sensitive romance distinguished by its respect for fandom. (Realistic romance. 12-18)

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May 1, 2016

Gr 8 Up-Castle's latest explores life and relationships with a gentle touch, steady rhythm, and quirky characters who face real issues. Seventeen-year-old Ari spies Camden from afar at the lake and spends her summer daydreaming of the boyfriend he would be. She is recovering from emotional and physical scars after an episode of cutting. The following summer, they "meet cute" when Ari accidentally steps into the boys' restroom as her crush exits. Camden, mysterious and elusive, lives with his artist mother in a renovated barn and attends the local alternative school. Camden engages in his own projections, as his attraction to Ari is based upon the assumption that she leads the normal life he craves. He introduces Ari to his friends: edgy teens with clever banter and ardent fans of Ari's favorite show, the sci-fi throwback Silver Arrow. The gang participate in cosplay and attend a Comic Con-type event, despite Ari's parents denying her permission. The protagonist's forays into this distinct world with unfamiliar people foretell a collision of reality with her expectations. Castle skillfully navigates these wonder years as Ari realizes that daydreams do not always work out. Still, the book ends on a hopeful note.

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2016
Grades 9-12 For Ari, the summer after her sophomore year is consumed by two thingslearning to live with her depression, and nursing her crush on Camden, a gorgeous boy she dreams of being with. But the next summer, when she and Camden actually do become more than friends, she must confront whether she is falling in love with the fantasy guy or the real one. Castle has created a gripping novel about the aftermath of getting what you have always dreamt of. While for Ari, that's a real summer romance, the relationship between Ari and Camden isn't what makes the book unique, rather, it's the bond and disconnect Ari has with her mother, who is both an overprotective and sometimes absentee parent. Ari's complicated relationship with her mother, whom she simultaneously resents and empathizes with, is reminiscent of themes found within E. Katherine Kottaras' How to Be Brave (2015). Castle's latest captures the feeling of the infinite possibilities that summer holds, while tackling the larger issues that spill into the rest of the year.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)