Linden Wilson's life is looking up. She's involved with prom, she plans to enter a writing contest for a scholarship, and she just started dating Alex Rivera, the cute catcher for the school's baseball team. Meanwhile, Worthy, a new polling app that ranks couples based on the worthiness of the girl, becomes a preoccupation. The app is addictive, allowing students to anonymously say theugly and distressing things about other students that they wouldn't dare speak face-to-face. When Worthy becomes personal, Linden decides she must do something to keep it from destroying her friends and herself. Image is a consistent theme in Cooner's YA novels, as are Internet bullying and popularity, and all three figure prominently in this book. Her protagonist struggles to do what's right while questioning why girls must fit a mold rather than be themselves without judgment. Readers who enjoyed Cooner's Skinny (2012) and Can't Look Away (2014) will find familiar characters in the drama unfolding at Linden's Sam Houston High School.

At Linden's high school, a hot new app called Worthy asks students to judge whether the girl in a well-known couple is worthy of the guy. The app threatens Linden's relationships with her best friend and with the new guy she's dating. Though the be-yourself message is heavy-handed, readers will connect with the effort it takes for Linden to believe it.

A girl struggling to find her own voice learns how to speak like herself.Linden, an "average" white girl, feels as though she's invisible in the crowd and just goes with the flow—she's not like her Filipina best friend, Nikki, who's not afraid to call herself fat, or self-confident leaders like the popular girls. She wants to be a writer, yet she doesn't show anyone what she writes. To step out of her comfort zone, she volunteers to publicize the upcoming prom—and at the same time, cute, brown-skinned Mexican Alex starts showing her some attention. Then an app called Worthy hits their Texas high school, polling students whether girls in popular couples are "worthy" of the guys. Linden and Nikki, among other girls, both question why only the girls are subject to judging, and when each of them end up on Worthy, it shakes up their relationships—and their friendship. (Evidently same-sex couples are not worthy of Worthy, which goes largely unquestioned in the text.) In an uneasy melding of the two storylines—Linden's poor self-confidence and cyberbullying—somehow, making it to Worthy boosts Linden's sense of her own worth. The story turns: rather than Linden's search for confidence through her writing it becomes about why others' opinions matter, undermining both themes. In the end, it's a fairly conventional high school romance, slightly elevated by the feminist elements. (Fiction. 12-16)

Gr 8 Up-oward the end of her junior year, Linden Wilson feels like her high school experience is coming together. She's in charge of publicity for the senior prom, and she is getting the attention of the attractive rising star baseball player Alex Rivera. Linden is also becoming brave enough to share her writing with others and plans to submit a piece to an important contest. After being in her brother's and her best friend Nikki's shadows for so long, she is finally starting to shine. Meanwhile, the Worthy online app is taking Sam Houston High School by storm, and people get to secretly vote on whether a girl is "worthy" of her boyfriend. Linden votes because she wants to fit in, despite her more independent and reserved nature, but she tries to stay above the cruel comments her peers make about one another. But what happens when the Worthy spotlight turns on Linden? This novel is an enjoyable read with pertinent messages for adolescents about modern dating culture and social media. VERDICT Recommended for large collections.Margaret A. Robbins, University of Georgia, Athens

Linden, a junior in high school, is an aspiring writer working part-time in her local library. Her best friend, Nikki, is beautiful, artistic, and crazy about her boyfriend, Ross. While waiting for Nikki to drag her to a prom committee meeting, Linden finds a new app, titled Worthy, on the school’s website and downloads it to her phone for later. After being appointed social media/publicity chair for prom, Linden rushes off to work, where the school’s star basketball player, Alex Rivera, shows up to talk to her. Linden is pleasantly shocked by his attention, and the two soon begin dating. After Alex leaves, she and coworker Kat open Worthy to find that it is an app in which students vote on whether the girl of a couple is “worthy” of her partner. As soon as voting is finished for one couple, another one’s names appear on the screen. Word of the app spreads quickly, and soon nasty comments lead to hurt feelings, lowered self-esteem, and violence. All seems to be going well with Linden and Alex, except that he never invites her to prom. When their names appear on Worthy, she is devastated to be deemed unworthy. Linden makes it her goal to find out who is behind the app. She goes to the prom alone and discovers the anonymous creator of the app that is wreaking havoc throughout the school. Cooner’s book addresses real issues in teens’ lives—Internet culture, online apps, communication, dating—in a way that is relatable. Themes of self-esteem and online bullying are woven throughout, but Linden’s growth into a more confident young woman demonstrates the value of not judging yourself by other people’s standards. This title will have wide appeal; it is timely and easy to read.—Rachel Axelrod.