Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up--Each of the stories in this season's "Real Love" installments revolve around the romantic struggles of their queer protagonists. Summer with Sunil follows a trans protagonist on vacation with their parents, where they immediately fall for another trans teen. Line Drive to Love is about a softball jock swooning over her best friend's nerdy cousin. Not Not Normal takes the friends-to-lovers approach as sensitive Jordan must work with brash Nathan on a school project, which ends with a dramatic Shakespearean climax. All the stories feature sick, absent, or unsupportive fathers. Mature language is prevalent in all titles, with the characters in Sunil being particularly profane and Not Not Normal using the f-slur. Every protagonist gets their happily ever after. VERDICT Strong stories for more mature romantics.
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A teen softballer with her sights set on success discovers that a summer romance throws her priorities into question. Rory Taylor knows exactly what she wants: to win back her spot on the provincial softball team after being cut following an injury. She hopes to score a sports scholarship to college that will get her off Prince Edward Island and reassure her dad, who's slowly dying of ALS, that she'll be set to lead a good, successful life. But when she meets Shanti, her teammate's cousin who's in town for the summer, Rory falls hard and fast for the cute, shy, bookish girl. Despite being positive that she doesn't have time for dating, Rory wants to make a relationship with Shanti work. Balancing softball, family, and romance, however, proves just as tricky as pitching a perfect game. Awkward teen flirting combined with sweet chemistry between the main characters makes up for a lackluster plot and flat secondary characters. Pop culture references, especially relating to music, are threaded through the story, allowing readers a deeper connection and insight into the leads (Rory enjoys her parents' '60s vinyl collection; Shanti likes contemporary country music). Rory presents white while Shanti has Indian and Mongolian ancestry. A Sapphic sports romance for reluctant readers with appealing leads. (playlists, author's note)(Romance. 13-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
