Ellie is cool now

Fulton and McClaren (who previously collaborated on the YA novel Horror Hotel) bring the banter in this hilarious second-chance romance. Ellie Jenkins hated high school. She never fit in with the popular crowd and she missed her chance at getting close to her cool kid crush, Mark Wright. Now Ellie has a job writing for the hit teen TV show Cooler Than You, but her writing is a shade too cynical to fit the series' tone. To get her inspired, Ellie's boss forces her to participate in her 10-year high school reunion, bribing her with the possibility of a promotion. Ellie's initially determined to show up and leave as quickly as possible, but her work friends make her a reunion bucket list to help Ellie prove to everyone--especially Mark, whom Ellie has never gotten over--that she is, as the title states, cool now. The list, which puts Ellie in competition with the winners of yearbook superlatives for items like "have better hair than Best Hair," is fun but makes for a sometimes repetitive plot. It's the standout heroine who save the day, with the authors' voicey writing bringing Ellie to life. Romance readers will have a blast. Agent: Katie Shea Boutillier, Donald Maass Literary. (Mar.)