Starred Review Sixteen-year-old Isabel, who has trouble hearing others in noisy environments, feels like she also has trouble being heard all the time. An outcast in her own family and always a burden in her boyfriend's eyes, it hardly even feels like there's a place for her til she accidentally wanders into a Chicago bar during a stand-up comedy open mic and, to her shock, finds herself on stage. Like any good comedy, this novel deals in truth. Like any great comedy, it also nails the difficult job of infusing nuance. Marked by Isabel's strong narrative voice, it walks a perfect balance between humor and serious observations about the world, the self, and confidence. Henry (Heretics Anonymous, 2018) rounds out her cast of characters with Isabel's new stand-up friends, a group of seemingly wise and free college students who have lives less rosy than they appear. It's much like the novel as a whole, which is thoughtfully complex yet accessible, achieving a realism that encourages reader introspection. Isabel becomes Izzy V. on stage to escape the challenging relationships in her life and invites readers along with her, bringing the world of stand-up to life. Perfect for fans of Lance Rubin's Crying Laughing (2019) and John Green's An Abundance of Katherines (2006).

A lost and timid high school junior finds her voice through stand-up.Sixteen-year-old Isabel Vance feels like the odd one out in her own family: Her successful, professional parents are preoccupied, and her 18-year-old siblings' forceful personalities shut her out. Now that the twins are off at college, Isabel's parents fail to see her loneliness and count on her to fulfill her family role as the kid who causes no trouble. Her alpha-male boyfriend, Alex, says he loves Isabel, but he cuts her off from her best friend and closely monitors her movements. Although Isabel fears angering Alex, she tells herself that he genuinely needs her. A series of misunderstandings results in her performing an impromptu stand-up routine at an open mic event and meeting new friends who believe she's in college, too. Events quickly spiral out of control: Isabel relishes her secret life as comedian Izzy V., exploring the power of standing on stage, boldly and hilariously speaking her truth. As a straight, White, upper-middle-class girl, her new friendships with a Persian lesbian, a wealthy Black boy, and an Asian transracial adoptee offer glimpses of a world beyond the narrow confines of her prep school. Naturally, the deception cannot continue indefinitely, and Isabel/Izzy must apply the courage of her stage persona to her offstage relationships. Isabel is achingly and sympathetically flawed and her growth, realistic; readers will undoubtedly connect with her journey.Honest truths delivered with humor and heart. (Fiction. 13-18)