The Best Possible Answer

September 19, 2016
Viviana Rabinovich-Lowe is obsessed with getting into college but buckles under the pressure to load up on AP credits, take the SATs, get college applications done, and look perfect on paper. After she has a breakdown, her doctor’s orders are to slow down, stop pushing herself so hard, and use the summer for a break. Viviana initially resists, but her best friend Sammie persuades her to work with her at the community pool for a summer of fun and boys. Kottaras (How to Be Brave) uses test-taking tips to frame each chapter, as well as essay-style explorations of Viviana’s backstory (on her relationship with an ex who leaked a private photo of her: “Analyze the reasons that these activities emerged... and assess the degree to which Viviana succeeded in ruining both her social and personal life”). Yet as Viviana becomes less single-minded about her college future, these frames feel less relevant, distracting from what’s really a complicated family drama about living with betrayal and learning how to open oneself again to love. Ages 12–up. Agent: Courtney Miller-Callihan, Handspun Literary.

A young woman is pushed to her breaking point by the betrayals of an ex and a father.Viviana was already under a lot of pressure: imposed by her father, who wants Vivi to follow in his footsteps by attending Stanford, and imposed by herself in her drive to excel--as well as to move past how her ex shared online the naked photo Vivi sent him. But when the white teen starts having panic attacks, her mother puts her foot down and insists that Vivi rest. So she gets a job at the local pool with her Filipina best friend, Sammie--and reconnects with Evan, the white boy who was her first kiss and has grown up to be very cute. But Sammie likes Evan, too, and Vivi doesn't want to lose her friend. And with her family falling apart around her, thanks to Vivi's discovery of an unsavory truth about her father...there's a lot on Vivi's plate. Can she keep her best friend while falling for a guy who could be perfect for her? Vivi's vividly portrayed panic attacks and pressure to succeed will speak to many readers. While the truth about her father is more than a little melodramatic, it allows Vivi to react and break free of the expectations. Supporting characters are also strong. A sensitive novel about accepting imperfection. (Fiction. 14-18) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 1, 2016

Gr 9 Up-Viviana "Vivi" Rabinovich-Lowe is a high academic achiever who is under constant pressure from her father to be perfect, but her image is damaged when her ex-boyfriend circulates a nude photo of her around school, causing her to have an anxiety attack. Her parents decide that she should rest and not attend the Illinois State Design and Engineering Summer Academy. Alongside best friend and neighbor Sammie, the teen works downstairs at the check-in desk of her building's pool. While the protagonist's father travels, she deals with her and Sammie's romantic feelings for her coworker Evan, tension with her mother and sister, and a strange poolgoer named Professor Cox. The novel is divided into four parts, each starting with an evolving checklist of what Vivi must do to get into college and featuring different chapter headings related to AP exams and college admission. In this fast-paced novel, Vivi's character development is complete as she grapples with her own mistakes and copes with anxiety caused by her feelings for Evan, her lack of friends, and a family secret. Kottaras realistically depicts the difficulties that working parents face: Sammie's mother wants to move closer to her parents, and Vivi is outraged when she learns that her father could have provided better financial support for her family. The side story of Professor Cox, who has schizophrenia, conveys the importance of advocacy for those who face mental illness. VERDICT This narrative about coming to terms with one's mistakes, starting a new chapter, and living with anxiety is a general purchase for all teen collections, especially where realistic fiction is popular.-Liz Anderson, DC Public Library

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2016
Grades 8-11 Just when Viviana's road map to a stellar candidacy for Stanford admission is coursing along on track, life implodes. First, there was the social media catastrophe: a compromising photo of her, never meant to be distributed, is released to her entire school. Then, she discovers some very painful truths about her parents' disintegrating relationship. Now, the rising senior changes summer plans abruptly, suffers panic attacks, and retreats from her life. Does she dare take steps forward and explore relationship possibilities with a nice new guy she meets? Will her relationship with best friend Sammie continue to nurture her and see her through tough times? Readers, at least, will be hooked by Viv's roller-coaster daily life. Kottaras' creative use of College Admission Tips and tongue-in-cheek SAT questions at the start of each chapter adds a terrific satirical touch to the angst around all things college, and will speak to teens looking for a life amid the pressures and expectations of their high-school journey. A warmhearted and sensitive coming-of-age romance.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)