Perfect Couple

October 15, 2014
Harper, the official yearbook photographer, has a boyfriend but secretly crushes on Brody, the drop-dead-handsome football star. What happens when a silly student poll teams them up as the "Perfect Couple That Never Was"?True, her romance with Kennedy hasn't been going well. Kennedy picks fights with her just before they have dates, and he pushes her around in his job as yearbook editor. Brody isn't single either, and he can't seem to keep his hands off his girlfriend in public. But Harper has a job to do, and one of her assignments is to photograph the "Superlatives," couples chosen by the students in secret ballots. And even though Brody has a girlfriend, he comes on to her-and she responds. When she has a furious fight with a jealous Kennedy in front of a roomful of their friends, things really go awry. Can she have a real relationship with Brody after all-or does he only care about her looks, now that she's ditched her glasses and started wearing attractive clothes? Meanwhile, her parents are in the middle of a nasty divorce, and her grandfather behaves like a hermit. Echols focuses on Harper's inner turmoil as she pens a better-than-average high school romance caper. She has fun highlighting many of Harper's mistakes, but she also gives secondary characters unexpected complexity. It adds up to fairly typical adolescent angst with a bit of insight on top. (Romance. 12-16)

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October 1, 2014

Gr 10 Up-When Harper and Brody are voted "The Perfect Couple That Never Was" during their senior year at their Florida high school, they find that it's hard to resist exploring if their classmates are right. Challenges to their potential relationship include Harper's actual boyfriend, Kennedy. While flirtatious Harper may not always be likable or the best role model, the teen is a realistic protagonist and this narrative is engaging and fun with a bit of football, drama, and photography. The author's portrayal of high school antics and images are spot-on. Make-out scenes and heavy petting will make this a choice for older teens. Eventually, most of the clothing does come off, but the duo responsibly chooses not to have unprotected sex. Teens looking for an easy read or an edgy romance will be entertained. Angst continues to surround Tia and Will from Biggest Flirts (Bloomsbury, 2014), but they play minor characters in this installment. While the books are part of a series, they stand alone and don't have to be read in order. Even reluctant readers will get sucked into the drama of this year's Perfect Couple.-Karen Alexander, Lake Fenton High School, Linden, MI

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2014
Grades 8-11 Harper is a quiet girl who doesn't share much with her friends but sees all from behind the lens of her camera. Focused on her future, Harper is an active photographer for the yearbook, where she is coming into increasing conflict with her domineering and unaffectionate boyfriend, Kennedy. Nominated with Brodythe dreamy football player who is the exact opposite of Kennedyby her classmates as part of the Perfect Couple That Never Was, Harper begins to strike up an innocent flirtation with the popular quarterback. As the situation heats up between Harper and Brody, she must decide whether the weight of her classmates' opinions will doom her blossoming relationship. Though the juxtaposition between heady adolescent issues (such as menstruation, sex, and family strife, among others) and the breezy romance is occasionally harsh, and characters are somewhat hollow and one-dimensional, readers who like fluffy romance will enjoy the traditional setup of quiet, nerdy girl meets popular football player. No need to read the first book in the Superlative series to follow along.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)