Rory Prince is a star in the academic world. His parents own a very famous tutoring company, Prince List, and Rory has been its face for years. He and his parents have lofty goals for him, and he follows strict rules to meet them. The one person in the way of Rory accomplishing all of these goals is Luca Melendez, his academic rival. Luca is a handsome hockey player who beats Rory at everything, seemingly without even trying. After losing once again to Luca, Rory loses his cool and throws an entire smoothie at him, which causes a PR nightmare for him and Prince List. Soon after, Rory and Luca end up at the same academic camp. While at the camp, the two get to know each other better, but Rory has a big plan for how he will finally beat Luca at something.

This is a lighthearted, fast-paced, hilarious, and heartwarming romp with a cast of quirky and fun characters. Luca is sweet and hardworking, while Rory is so uptight and driven. The side characters are all entertaining, too. Rory's cabin mates, in particular, are serious highlights.

This is the second book I've read by Page Powars, with And They Were Roommates being the first, and one thing I love about his books is that his trans characters face almost no anti-trans hate. Being trans is just one of Rory's many traits; it's an important part of who he is, but it is treated matter-of-factly, and he's accepted for who he is by everyone around him. It feels empowering to read, especially right now. I hope we continue to get more light, joyful trans stories like this to balance out the (also important) grittier stories. They're a delight to read.

The romance starts humorously, with the one-sided rivals-to-lovers trope. Rory sees Luca as his enemy and is absolutely convinced that Luca is purposefully sabotaging him, which makes their early interactions fun and hilariously awkward at times. As they spend more time together, Rory learns things about Luca that he had no idea about. He also learns more about himself and what he really wants. Their relationship ends up being very sweet and super adorable. I will admit to shedding a few tears over these two!

Page Powars' books are always a good time. If you like Young Adult romances, especially ones with a great sense of humor, be sure to pick this one up (and And They Were Roommates, too)! I loved everything about this book, and it has cemented the author as a must-read author for me!

Gosh, what a lovely book this is.

Ben is a non-binary teenager who comes out to their parents with disastrous results.

As you can probably imagine, this book is very emotional. Along with the devastating coming-out scene, we also follow along with Ben as they start therapy to deal with anxiety. As someone with anxiety, I found this journey to be especially moving. I remember struggling with panic attacks when I was around Ben's age, so seeing their struggle was really relatable and well-written. Ben also has a complicated relationship with his sister, which I thought was explored realistically. They are both trying to repair their relationship, but they've both been through a lot, and it gets messy at times.

The best relationship in the book is the romance they develop with Nathan, a student at their new school. Nathan is so adorable and supportive, and he's exactly what Ben needs in their life.

This is a character-focused book about healing and finding your way with a little help from friends. It's beautifully written and powerful.