Boys Like You

Gr 9 Up—Nathan and Monroe are both attractive, well-adjusted teens with involved families and all the right friends. Their story begins some months after they are each knocked out of their pleasant lives through direct involvement in separate tragedies. Monroe's parents send her from New York to Louisiana hoping that a summer with her grandmother will pull her out of her malaise. Nathan spends the summer working for his contractor uncle at the home of Monroe's grandmother. When they meet, they can't ignore the spark between them, despite their private grief. Over the summer they fall in love and help each other come to terms with their pasts. Chapters alternate their first-person perspectives. This works nicely, allowing readers to observe their growing attraction. Unfortunately, other aspects of the characters are not as well developed. The story handles challenging subjects like sex, drunk driving, and faith after tragedy in a sensitive and age-appropriate way without veering into melodrama. The ending is a bit too happy, but that might be just what readers need after going through this emotional wringer.—Amelia Jenkins, Juneau Public Library, AK