Review by Booklist Review
Thirteen-year-old Alex is experiencing the thrill of first love when her world is turned upside down. PJ, her best friend turned girlfriend, is moving away and the library where she and her friends volunteer may be closing. When her grandmother, who is Alex's primary caregiver, begins showing signs of dementia, Alex does everything she can to hide the woman's condition. When she's no longer able to conceal Grandma's troubling health problems, family secrets and new challenges come to the forefront. Ryan balances these issues with Alex's coming out, and readers will experience all her anxieties in the face of first love and major life changes. Alex and PJ, who are white, ensure strong LGBTQIA+ representation through the narrative, while racial diversity is present in the library among the volunteer group and library staff. First love, libraries, and family drama make this an engaging read for tween and teenage readers. Recommend to fans of Jake Maia Arlow and Ashley Herring Blake.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Everything is looking up for 13-year-old Alex Eager until suddenly it isn't: her new girlfriend PJ's mothers decide it's time for them to move, Alex's grandmother is becoming more and more forgetful, and there's rumors that the upcoming local election might threaten funding for her small Oregon town's public library, her home away from home. Alex is continually challenged by things outside of her control in this endearingly thoughtful middle grade debut by Ryan (Rules for Hearts) that leans into the messy nature of everyday life: complicated emotions plague Alex's relationship with her distant father and his second wife, she feels haunted by the ghost of her late mother whenever her grandmother refers to Alex by her name, and she's not sure what she can do to save the library. But instead of dwelling on all the things she doesn't know or understand, Alex learns to adapt--becoming "amphibious," as her grandmother says, to make the most of every moment, in the moment, as she builds a new life with those she loves, making for a tidy and satisfying tale in which one "rigid" teen resolves to make good with what she has. Main characters read as white. Ages 10--up. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Feb.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 3--7--Alex, 13, has lived with her grandmother in the small town of Faillin, OR, since she was a baby and her mother died. Her relationship with her father and stepmother is tenuous at best, and Alex feels responsible for her grandmother, whom she worries is becoming overly forgetful. Alex and her best friend PJ have started navigating what it means to be girlfriends rather than just friends. The town library is her refuge, where a kind librarian provides guidance and support. Alex's life takes a major turn when she learns that PJ is moving to Portland, which sets off a series of events that results in her learning that she has a long-lost uncle, her beloved library is closing, and that her grandmother is worse off than she thought. Although the story has its moments--the relationship between Alex and PJ feels genuine, and teens will commiserate with Alex trying to handle big changes--the novel has a tendency to meander. Readers don't learn Alex's age, for example, until almost halfway through the book. Body image issues--PJ is fit and athletic, Alex is not--are brought up in early chapters, then dropped. Several overly descriptive passages about Alex's period do little to advance the story. The rift between Alex's grandmother and her uncle, though a major plot point, is never fully explained. VERDICT A realistic novel that despite some narrative wandering presents a sweet tale of teen angst, intergenerational support, and young queer love.--Sue Morgan
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A 13-year-old learns to accept help when everything in her life starts shifting. Right after she's worked up the courage to share her romantic feelings for PJ, the girl who's been her best friend for years, everything in Alexandra Eager's life starts to go off-kilter. Her grandmother, who's cared for her since her mother's death from complications of childbirth, is becoming more confused and forgetful. Alex's local library, where she's on the Youth Council, faces possible funding cuts, and beloved librarian Alonso is doing his best to be positive despite the dreary outlook. Matters go from bad to worse when PJ announces that she and her moms are moving. Alex's desperate fear of losing PJ pushes her to make a dangerous decision, and things quickly fall apart. But the reveal of a family secret unexpectedly leads to a new way forward and expands Alex's support system. Although few tidy resolutions appear at the end, the story contains plenty of comfort and compassion. Alex and PJ's budding romance is gentle and sweet, with realistic complications and heartfelt emotions that are well suited to their ages. Alex's grandmother's worsening dementia raises big questions of familial responsibility and elder care that will be familiar to many readers, while the parallel storyline of the library's funding battle leads to a timely and authentic (if frustrating) conclusion. The main characters read white. Genuine and grounded; full of warmth and pragmatic realism despite difficult and uncertain circumstances.(Fiction. 10-14) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
