Rozalia Boma Davies’ new YA romance follows two high-achieving Massachusetts teens as they confront their feelings for each other.
High school junior JJ hopes to attend Columbia University. Her classmate, Aang, is sure he’s Stanford-bound. The two were good friends until a misunderstanding drove them apart. But after their college counselor advises them to diversify their extracurriculars, JJ and Aang find themselves in close proximity again. Aang joins the cheerleading squad, where JJ hopes to excel as a flyer. JJ rejoins the Mathletes, which Aang, the group’s president, shut her out of last year by changing the group’s meeting time to conflict with JJ’s cheerleading practice.
As JJ’s and Aang’s viewpoints unfold in alternating chapters, they find that not only did they miss each other’s friendship, their feelings are romantic as well. They also grapple with their respective ethnic backgrounds. JJ was born in Poland, but is uncertain about a return visit, as her half-Nigerian background makes people there treat her like an outsider. Meanwhile, Aang’s Hong Kong-born parents have neglected to pass that heritage on to him. He pushes back by studying Cantonese obsessively and resisting Chinese-American fusion culture.
The story hits genre sweet spots, with funny, appealing characters, plenty of reluctant yearning and a classic enemies-to-lovers trope. The added identity and belonging dimensions will appeal to readers looking for more depth with their love story.
On the down side, the novel is a bit overlong. JJ’s ruminations on her treatment in Poland often feel repetitive. And passages in which Aang learns to cheerlead feel excessively detailed compared to the Mathletes’ passages. This space could be used to lay the groundwork for a big decision Aang and JJ make at the end, which currently feels abrupt.
In addition, the supporting characters – JJ’s friends in particular – could be better-developed.
Eliminating the repetition and fleshing out the characters would help the novel reach a wider audience. Still, it should appeal as-is to dedicated fans of teen romance.