Love Scene, Take Two

April 30, 2018
Evansley explores young celebrity romance, texting, and social media in her lively, contemporary debut novel. TV actor Teddy Sharpe, 20, is flying from Los Angeles to Miami for a getaway weekend with his on-again, off-again girlfriend. He’s flustered because he thinks he’s just bombed an important audition for a movie adapted from a bestselling YA book. The attractive young woman across the aisle looks familiar but he can’t place her; 18-year-old Bennett recognizes Teddy and the book he’s holding (she wrote it), though she doesn’t divulge anything. They strike up an easy conversation, and as the plane lands for a stop in Charlotte, N.C., Teddy’s flight to Miami is canceled, so Bennett invites him to stay at her family’s lake house until he can catch another one. Sweet, intelligent, charming Teddy and accomplished, smart Bennett suffer all the drama and angst of young love, complicated by celebrity status and the power of social media. Romance lovers and readers fascinated with Hollywood life (on and off set) should enjoy this flirty of-the-moment tale. Ages 13–18.

June 1, 2018

Gr 10 Up-Actor Teddy Sharpe is positive that he just blew the audition his agent scrambled to get him. On a plane to Miami, he meets Bennett, the teen author of a best-selling novel that is being turned into a movie-the very one he just read for. When Teddy's connecting flight is canceled because of bad weather, he's offered a place to stay for the night by Bennett. At her family's lake house, Teddy begins to relax, shed his Hollywood persona, and fall for Bennett. Is it wrong to date the person who could be responsible for making his career? This title showcases celebrity and the inner workings of both acting and writing a successful series. Bennett and Teddy's romance is full of fun and flirty banter, chemistry, misunderstandings and miscommunications, and dealing with fame and gossip. The fleshed-out background characters pull readers into the side plots, tugging at their heartstrings. VERDICT This new adult/older YA title is the perfect summer novel for fans of Jennifer E. Smith, Jenny Han, and Morgan Matson.-Jennifer Rummel, Cragin Library, Colchester, CT

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