Now That I've Found You

April 15, 2020
When an aspiring actress wrecks her big shot, she needs her grandmother's help to salvage her career. Right before high school graduation, Evie Jones finally gets her big break, and it's a starring role. But when her jealous best friend, who also auditioned for the part, posts a video of Evie impersonating the director, she is fired. Desperate to continue her family's legacy--her parents are documentary filmmakers; her grandmother Gigi is a legendary actress--Evie makes a deal with her grandmother's least favorite person, James Jenkins, who is Gigi's ex-husband and Evie's former stepgrandfather. The former couple co-starred in a film that became a cult classic, and he wants to remake it, but without her grandmother's approval, he won't cast Evie as the female lead. When Gigi disappears, Evie enlists her grandmother's handsome, 19-year-old musician friend Milo to help find her before time runs out on her comeback opportunity. Evie's character development is slow, and she comes off as self-centered for most of the book; Milo, by contrast, stands out, and readers may be disappointed that more time isn't spent on him and his hilarious, quirky friends. The pacing is also off, with the most interesting action packed into the final chapters, but the novel is a light, sincere look at parental expectations and artists' dreams. The main characters are black, and there is a diverse cast of supporting characters. Predictable but pleasant, with a swoonworthy ending straight out of the movies. (Fiction. 14-18)

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June 8, 2020
Evie Jones is on the way to stardom, having landed a role in a high-profile film, until her best friend releases a video—of Evie drunkenly impersonating the director—that gets Evie fired. Now the 18-year-old is hoping to get back to work by using her connections to her famous grandparents: Hollywood royalty who appeared in the first big romantic movie with black stars but who no longer speak to one another. Evie’s been asked to present her grandmother, Evelyn, with a lifetime achievement award, but after Evelyn takes off, Evie turns to 19-year-old Milo, a musician-on-the-rise and a friend to her grandmother, for help tracking her down. The dash to find her before the awards ceremony gives Forest’s (I Wanna Be Where You Are) sophomore novel a madcap quality, and hunky, soulful Milo makes a good love interest, but Evie’s privileged attitude—she’s sure everyone is trying to use her, and she’s too wrapped up in herself to notice what’s going on with her grandmother—grows tiresome. Press releases and articles about Evie’s grandparents and their on-again, off-again relationship stud the first-person narrative. Ages 12–up. Agent: Sara Crowe, Pippin Properties.

July 1, 2020

Gr 9 Up-Acting and filmmaking are in Evie Jones's blood. Her parents are successful documentary producers, and her eccentric grandmother Gigi is the legendary film star Evelyn Conway. After landing a role in an upcoming thriller, Evie feels like everything has fallen into place for her rise to fame. Her ascent is quickly halted and her dreams are shattered when she is betrayed by her best friend. With aspirations of a second chance, Evie flies to New York to spend time with Gigi and hopefully use her grandmother's fame to land another starring role. Adventure ensues when Evie's elusive grandmother disappears, leaving only a grocery store delivery boy as the possible key to her location. As the two embark on a journey through New York City to locate the missing Gigi, Evie finds out that Milo is much more than just a delivery boy, and that things may not be as dire as she had previously suspected. This is a romantic adventure story full of life lessons and laughs. Multifaceted characters and an entertaining plotline make for an engaging story that teens are sure to enjoy. VERDICT For fans of Mary H.K. Choi's Permanent Record, Kasie West's Fame, Fate, and the First Kiss, or Maurene Goo's I Believe in a Thing Called Love.-Ellen Fitzgerald, Naperville P.L., IL

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July 1, 2020
Grades 9-12 Forest's charming rom-com thrillingly features Black teens front and center, offering a fun romp that poignantly demonstrates that Black characters can occupy roles outside of trauma narratives and shine as subjects of swoon-worthy romances. Eighteen-year-old Evie is a Hollywood actress on track to reach mega stardom, like her grandmother Gigi. However, when a scandal leads to Evie being blacklisted, she makes a desperate bid to wiggle her way back into Hollywood's good graces by presenting her beloved celebrity grandmother an honorary award. Unfortunately, Gigi goes missing before Evie can execute her scheme. It's now up to Evie to search New York City to find Gigi and hopefully save her career in the process. This quest becomes a meet-cute after Evie seeks the help of the last person to cross paths with Gigi: a cute delivery boy and aspiring musician. With its light air of mystery and burgeoning romance, this novel delivers authentic teens, a riveting plot, and a lush world that grips readers from beginning to end.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)