Only Everything

March 24, 2014
Blending ancient mythology with contemporary romance, Scott (the He’s So/She’s So trilogy) offers a clever story about the difficulty of finding true love. After spending 3,000 years pining for her “soul mate” Orion, who had been turned into a constellation, Eros, Aphrodite’s daughter (yes, daughter), manages to pull him from the sky. Their blissful reunion is short-lived. A displeased Zeus imprisons Orion and banishes Eros to present-day New Jersey; she can’t return to Mount Olympus until she has matched three human couples without using her powers. Plenty of comedy follows as Eros and her mother adjust to the discomforts of Earth, including the unpleasant reality that human bodies require more upkeep than godly ones. Eros finds it difficult to play matchmaker as two human teens, Charlie and Katrina, get tangled in ill-fated relationships. Readers, especially those familiar with the underlying Greek myths, will relish the intermingling of classic figures and modern-day teens. The messy relationships will strike a familiar chord, and a cliffhanger twist will whet appetites for the next book in the True Love series. Ages 12–up. Agent: Sarah Burnes, the Gernert Company.

March 1, 2014
Comedy, romance and chick lit mix with Greek mythology when Zeus sends Eros, daughter of Aphrodite, to Earth. In Scott's universe, Eros is female, and she commits a serious sin by falling in love with Orion, who may be a constellation but remains mortal. When Zeus finds out, he banishes Eros to 21st-century New Jersey, demanding that she make three love matches or he will kill Orion--but he's taken away her love-creating powers. Since her mom had kept Eros' forbidden liaison secret, Zeus banishes her too. He does put them in a nice house with a library and wine cellar, but he gives them no money. Aphrodite immediately occupies herself with drinking up the wine, but feisty Eros enrolls in high school, renaming herself "True Olympia." Spotting Charlie, a shy boy who wants to play drums against his athletic family's wishes, she matches him up with several girls who turn out to be completely incompatible, missing Katrina, the girl readers easily will see is Charlie's true soul mate. Eros' nonexistent fashion sense and her superconfident, in-your-face attitude provide plenty of chuckles, while Charlie and Katrina's relationship drama keeps pages turning. Scott writes chapters from the viewpoints of "True," Charlie and Katrina and treats the mythology lightly, with Percy Jackson-style irreverence. Charlie and Katrina are just the first couple; hooked readers can expect the fun to continue. (Chick lit/fantasy. 12-17)

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May 1, 2014

Gr 8 Up-Scott captures the capriciousness of the gods in her Greek mythology mash-up. The novel begins with a vignette of Eros cavorting with Orion in a secluded forest and uttering the fateful words "I'd rather die than live without you." Zeus banishes the goddess Eros to earth without her powers and with a deadline to help three mortal couples find love or lose Orion forever. Although the prologue may cause some reluctant readers to balk, once the real action starts and the young deity, in the guise of True Olympia, starts to match her first set of mortals, teens will immediately recognize and relate to the pitfalls of dating and family life. There are some not-so-subtle complaints about overreliance on technological connections, but the problems of Katrina and Charlie, the couple Eros ultimately unites, are engaging. There are strong themes about staying true to one's self and finding relationships that are based on mutual respect, but Scott finds the fine line between showing rather than preaching. Readers looking for a denouement are likely to be disappointed, because once the couple has committed, the story is over. The shift is rather abrupt since the challenges facing each of the characters defy quick and easy solutions. However, the shifts in perspective and the recurring flashbacks combined with the clever use of literary devices creates a text complexity that is present without becoming overwhelming. This series will round out collections in need of a little romance that doesn't involve dystopias or vampires.-Jodeana Kruse, R. A. Long High School, WA

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2014
Grades 7-10 Eros has messed up big time. Her father, Ares, found out about her human boyfriend, Orion, and now she's been banished to earth by Zeus. If she can't match up three couples without using her powers, then Orion will be killed, and she'll be an outcast forever. Scott (This Is So Not Happening, 2012) has created a bubbly mix of Greek mythology and chick-lit romance that is a fast, fun read, thanks to her characters, who each get a chance to tell the tale from his or her point of view. Eros is pushy and determined; her first human friend, Charlie, is the new guy in school yet again; and Katrina is dealing with the loss of her father. Mild bullying is handled in a breezy manner, and there's drinking but no mention of sex, even when Katrina moves in with her lout of a boyfriend. The plot is somewhat predictable, and at a crucial point Eros has to be saved rather than figure things out on her own, but a cliff-hanger ending will leave romance fans clamoring for more.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)