Jesse's Girl

June 22, 2015
In Kenneallyâs (Breathe, Annie, Breathe) breezy romance, 17-year-old Maya Henryâa self-taught, 1980s-obsessed musicianâgets a rare opportunity. As part of her schoolâs career day, Maya is sent to shadow Jesse Scott, a wildly successful Nashville country singer, whose uncle happens to be her school principal. Though Maya isnât a country fan, she used to have a poster of Jesse hanging in her bedroom, and she hopes that he may be able to help her career. (Mayaâs band recently dumped her, and she has intense stage fright.) Jesseâs defensive, stuck-up attitude initially turns her off, but he has his reasons: he feels isolated in his celebrity and has become distrustful of other peopleâs intentions. Despite a rocky introduction, they quickly fall in love, surprising and pushing each other to become better artists and people. Kenneallyâs story about following oneâs dreams inspires as it entertains. The charactersâ musical passions and search for belonging are believable, while readers should get a vicarious thrill from watching Maya get to know a dreamy music star for who he really is. Ages 14âup. Agent: Sara Megibow, KT Literary Agency.

May 1, 2015
Maya lives for rock music, so when she gets the chance to shadow a country music star for career day, she isn't impressed. At 17, Maya is already certain that she wants to become a professional musician, but she has serious stage fright. Although she has by far the most talent, she sings backup in the band she started. When she first meets Jesse, only 18 but already a three-time Grammy winner, she finds him obnoxious. Still, she realizes that spending a day with a professional can help her learn about the music business, and Jesse actually does know a great deal about his craft. When he talks her into playing guitar for him, he spots Maya's real talent but also sees where she can improve. Once their career day starts, they manage to break the ice and ditch the schedule and, by the end of the day, find a real attraction for one another. They appear to be heading for romance, until Maya gets the chance to compete on the television show that started Jesse's career. All may not go as planned. Kenneally displays a reasonable expertise with popular music but an even better hand at writing an absorbing story. Although the plot at first seems cliched with its poor-girl-meets-star theme, she creates two characters who come across as real individuals, making the plot seem plausible. Highly enjoyable. (Romance. 12-18)

COPYRIGHT(2015) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

April 1, 2015

Gr 9 Up-Seventeen-year-old Maya was just voted out of her band and dumped by the guy she was sort of dating. Since she quit her school's choir and is phobic about solo performances, the teen no longer has an outlet to perform the music she loves. To add to her misery, Career Shadow Day is coming up and Maya is paired with her high school principal's nephew and Nashville's teen country music star, Jesse Scott. Despite Maya's lack of interest in country music, Maya respects Jesse's talent and is eager to learn from him. However, her hopes quickly disappear when Jesse treats her like an annoying groupie. Reluctantly, the pair agree to Shadow Day, which turns out to be an adventurous departure from their prescribed schedule. Jesse and Maya are surprised by the potential for a friendship as they share their dreams, fears, and past heartbreaks. The romantic attraction is palpable but is clouded by their insecurities and different lifestyles. They both are at a crossroads in their lives, and their struggles prove to connect them in surprising ways. A few frank sexual comments keep this squarely in high school collections. Maya's internal monologue is often pedestrian and the characters are stock. But the plot is so comfortingly predictable that readers will race to the end to devour every bit of the delicious fairy tale romance. VERDICT A light summer read for romance fans.-Lynn Rashid, Marriotts Ridge High School, Marriottsville, MD

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.