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Hayley always has a crush. The problem is, her crushes never like her back. After her latest unrequited loveâa girl from her basketball teamâgets a boyfriend, she decides she's done falling for girls who are unavailable. Her best friend, Talia, wants romance too, but rarely gets crushes on anyone, and she's tired of watching Hayley get her heart stomped on over and over. So the two girls make a pact: they'll help each other find summer love by putting themselves in situations that always lead to romance in movies.
To help carry out their summer love strategy, they make a list of all the places they could find their real-life rom-com: the beach, the Pride parade, the pool, a MUNA concert, and a party. But as they go to each place and try to find the one, it seems like they just can't catch a breakâthey don't know how to talk to cute strangers, someone mistakes Hayley as straight, and Hayley does a truly unfortunate DIY haircut (that she cannot be held responsible forââit was a crisis!). But when Talia and Hayley finally manage to score dates, will they be able to get out of their own way and really dive into the romances they deserve? Or is summer love not as far off as Hayley thought?
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
May 7, 2024 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781647008406
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781647008406
- File size: 2743 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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March 15, 2024
A plan to get over a crush is more successful than expected in this romance set in Seattle. Childhood best friends Hayley and Talia, both white, do everything together. They share a birthday, they have the same favorite ice cream flavor, and they're prone to saying the same thing at the same time. The main difference between them is that Hayley seems to have a new unrequited crush every week, and Talia has only ever had crushes on two people. Hayley is also a lesbian who struggles with panic attacks, while autistic Talia is trans as well as demiromantic and demisexual. After Hayley's latest heartbreak involving a straight girl from basketball, Talia suggests they spend the summer trying to manufacture meet-cutes as a way to jump-start both their love lives. With the help of their endearingly supportive friend group, Hayley and Talia go to the beach, attend Pride, rock out at a MUNA concert, and more. But when their plan starts to work, and Talia meets charismatic nonbinary Rose, Hayley can't ignore the fact that she feels jealous. Hayley and Talia's story has all the butterfly-worthy moments of first love. Hayley's voice is well executed: She's an overthinker who doesn't take herself too seriously, which leads to some funny one-liners and internal monologues. Readers will appreciate that neurodivergence is normalized and represented positively in the novel: In addition to Talia, two other members of their friend group are autistic. A charming friends-to-lovers summer romance. (Romance. 13-18)COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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April 1, 2024
Grades 9-12 Hayley and her best friend, Talia, are tired of waiting for love to find them. Hayley always has an unrequited crush--she has an unfortunate habit of falling for straight or otherwise unavailable girls. Talia is demiromantic, so it takes her a while and a deep emotional bond to feel romantic feelings for anyone. Together, they devise what they call their Summer Love Strategy: a plan to find summer love together. As the summer wears on, Hayley and Talia begin to realize that what's standing in their way isn't what they think and that they might have feelings for each other. This excellent addition to the slew of YA friends-to-lovers romance novels offers a nuanced portrayal of an autistic sapphic trans girl in Talia and a lesbian with ADHD and anxiety in Hayley. The novel sometimes gets lost in the characters' extensive social lives and many secondary characters, but it genuinely shines when it zeroes in on Hayley and Talia's friendship and blossoming romance. Readers will feel like they're in a teen summer romance themselves.COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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January 17, 2025
Gr 7 Up-Hayley and Talia have been friends since birth-born on the same day, in the same hospital. Of course they are destined to go through life's milestones together, like when Hayley tells her family she is gay and Talia tells her family she is trans. Every event in life is marked by their undying support for each other, and now in high school, they want to embark on another summer adventure-helping each other find a romantic partner. Hayley has only had crushes and never taken the next step, while Talia feels she may be demisexual and demiromantic and doesn't know where to begin to feel connected. With supportive families and an eclectic group of friends offering to help develop a strategy to find love, their plan should succeed. Looking for "meet cute" situations, they do find some success, but when Talia seems to get serious with someone, Hayley realizes she's having romantic thoughts about her friend. Is this lifelong friendship about to end because of her catching feelings that may not be reciprocated? Suddenly this strategy to find love seems to be leading to only heartbreak. Stoeve's novel is chock-full of all the feels of first loves and deep friendships. The cast of characters includes neurodivergent friends who know each other's needs to make all feel comfortable and accepted. VERDICT Teens searching for stories exploring nuanced friendships will love the easy flow of dialogue, the adventures, the acceptance, and the sweet "friends to girlfriends" romance.-Maria Ramusevic
Copyright 2025 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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