Once Upon a Kiss

October 1, 2015
Back to the Future meets The Breakfast Club for Generation Z. It's 1986, and 16-year-old Zoe Brenner isn't one of the cool kids, but as long as she's got her best friend, Jonah, John Hughes movies, and New Wave music, she just might survive Castle Heights High. But when Zoe accidentally chokes on a Fun Dip stick and wakes up 30 years in the future, she's in for a more difficult ride. Beverly Hills circa 2016 is a whole lot different than it was in the '80s, and it's going to take some time for Zoe to adjust to Googling, tweeting, and blogging. But technology is just the tip of the iceberg. In this parallel universe, Zoe is the most popular girl in school, and a slightly more muscular Jonah has a new best friend. Though rapid-fire references to pop culture, antique and modern, can be a distraction, it's a mostly undemanding read, following Zoe as she tries to use her newfound popularity for good and win back her best friend. There are no surprises here. The plot is predictable, as Palmer sticks to the tried-and-true best friend-turned-love interest formula. But Zoe's frothy first-person narration should keep the pages turning. While the road may be well-trodden, readers are still in for a breezy, enjoyable ride. (Fantasy. 12-16)

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January 1, 2016

Gr 6-10-This eager, time-traveling tome is a homage to John Hughes mixed with elements of movies, such as Back to the Future and The Breakfast Club, that paint a vivid picture of the 1980s. In a twist, the novel starts in 1986 and takes the main character, Zoe, an unpopular teen, on a time-traveling journey to 2016, where she is the most popular girl in school. Like a character in any Hughes flick, Zoe has a quirky guy best friend, Jordan, and a popular boyfriend, Brad, and is focused on exploring the stereotypical groups that exist within a high school. Zoe must decide whether her newfound popularity is worth sacrificing her values, opinions, and dream to unite all of the differing groups within the high school community. Should she give up her queen bee status and her popular paramour to fulfill her dreams of a united student body and a romantic partner who shares her beliefs? The idealistic tone of the book is reminiscent of a sitcom. With the exception of Zoe, Jordan, and Brad, almost all of the other characters are one-dimensional, seeming to exist merely to point out something about the major characters or drive the familiar plot forward. There is no new ground explored here; this is simply a tame romance with a time-travel twist. VERDICT Purchase where 1980s movies circulate well or gentle romance novels are popular.-Cindy Wall, Southington Library & Museum, CT

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