When Jimmy comes out to Marty, it is no surprise e and Jimmy have been fast friends for many years. But now Jimmy is attending a public school, while Marty's parents force her to attend a Catholic school. So much for all their plans about taking on high school together. Marty's life is not in ruins, though. She makes a new friend, Xiang, and lands a role in the school's production of Into the Woods alongside the incredibly handsome Felix. Maybe, just maybe, her freshman year will be wonderful. After all, Felix seems to be the perfect boyfriend. Appearances, Marty learns, can be deceiving. Alsenas blends friendship, romance, and musical theater with some sobering topics in this story, offering readers the opportunity to think through some weighty matters on their own. John Green and David Levithan's Will Grayson, Will Grayson (2010) would make an interesting connection for readers who enjoy the story of Marty and Jimmy.

Gr 8 Up-When Martha (Marty) and JimmyBFFs since fifth gradehead to different high schools, their lives begin to change. Jimmy, acknowledging that he's gay, falls for Derek, and Marty fears that she'll be replaced. Obsessed by Broadway musicals, she auditions for Into the Woods at her all-girls' school, encouraging Jimmy and his new friends to do likewise. She and Derek are cast, her cellist friend Xiang opts to play in the orchestra, and Jimmy and his friend Oliver agree to be assistant directors. Totally smitten with gorgeous Felix Peroni, (typecast as The Wolf), Marty agrees to a backstage secret romance, unaware that he is two-timing her. Finally jolted back to reality, she discovers that someone else has cared about her all along. The well-paced story with its typical adolescent behavior—sexting, swearing, sneaking out, underage drinking, making out—will ring true with teens, and its plot twists and turns will maintain high interest. The theatrical setting will appeal to stage-struck young adults, and the ultimately positive parent/kid relationships will resonate with readers. While less overt than David Leviathan's Hold Me Closer (Dutton, 2015), Alsenas's title offers practical, kid-appropriate advice on the value of friendship and the importance of self-knowledge. VERDICT A pleasing, humorous tale of relationship angst.— Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, formerly at LaSalle Academy, Providence, RI