Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Mon Oct 07 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

A neurodivergent STEM nerd convinces her emo classmate to tutor her in romance so she can get back together with her ex-boyfriend.Marlowe Meadows' senior year starts with the unwelcome confirmation that Josh, her golden-boy boyfriend, has dumped her for being bad at love. Determined to show her ex that she can do better, Marlowe seeks help from Ashton Hayes, her A.P. English project partner, the school's pierced goth band frontman who moved to their Georgia town junior year. Since Ash has written dreamy song lyrics and works at a romance bookstore, Marlowe believes he's uniquely positioned to teach her about love. In exchange for help writing four letters, practical lessons in datelike settings, and weekly romance novel reading assignments, Marlowe will revamp Ash's band's "crappy" website and update their social media presence. As the tutoring progresses, Marlowe's supportive, super-smart best friends, Odette and Poppy, also start attending Ash's band rehearsals, reading romance books, and encouraging her to embrace her potential new love interest. Kaylor thoughtfully portrays Marlowe's nuanced character growth and weaves a moving subplot about how Marlowe believes autism has affected her relationship with her seemingly perfect mother and younger sister. Ash is irresistibly kind, charismatic, and loving. The story includes authentically described neurodiverse and LGBTQ+ characters; Marlowe and Ash are cued white.A delightful, richly characterized slow-burn romance about figuring out what you want. (Romance. 13-18)

Kirkus Reviews (Mon Oct 07 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

A neurodivergent STEM nerd convinces her emo classmate to tutor her in romance so she can get back together with her ex-boyfriend.Marlowe Meadows' senior year starts with the unwelcome confirmation that Josh, her golden-boy boyfriend, has dumped her for being bad at love. Determined to show her ex that she can do better, Marlowe seeks help from Ashton Hayes, her A.P. English project partner, the school's pierced goth band frontman who moved to their Georgia town junior year. Since Ash has written dreamy song lyrics and works at a romance bookstore, Marlowe believes he's uniquely positioned to teach her about love. In exchange for help writing four letters, practical lessons in datelike settings, and weekly romance novel reading assignments, Marlowe will revamp Ash's band's "crappy" website and update their social media presence. As the tutoring progresses, Marlowe's supportive, super-smart best friends, Odette and Poppy, also start attending Ash's band rehearsals, reading romance books, and encouraging her to embrace her potential new love interest. Kaylor thoughtfully portrays Marlowe's nuanced character growth and weaves a moving subplot about how Marlowe believes autism has affected her relationship with her seemingly perfect mother and younger sister. Ash is irresistibly kind, charismatic, and loving. The story includes authentically described neurodiverse and LGBTQ+ characters; Marlowe and Ash are cued white.A delightful, richly characterized slow-burn romance about figuring out what you want. (Romance. 13-18)

School Library Journal (Mon Oct 07 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Gr 9 Up— Marlowe is left feeling like a failure when she is dumped by her boyfriend before senior year. To win her ex back, Marlowe works out a deal with the mysterious boy Ashton in her English class; she'll revamp his band's social media if he teaches her all about romance. What begins as a simple agreement, quickly turns into something more as all the calculations in the world cannot help Marlowe anticipate Ashton Hayes. A celebration of embracing differences, trusting the process, and demanding better for oneself, Kaylor's sophomore novel shines as a delightfully fun romance filled with an abundance of humor and hope. Marlowe's autism is seen as a detriment not only by her ex, but as Marlowe eventually realizes, by herself. Her friendship with Ashton reveals she's surrounded by family and friends who unquestionably accept her neurodiversity as her quest to learn about romance inspires her to speak up more. The story's pacing flows nicely as Marlowe and Ashton's relationship reveals the joy of finding that person who gives you space to grow and be yourself. While the overarching plot is solid, there are some building points for the characters that could've been explored more. Marlowe has red hair and Ashton has ink-black hair: both are cued white. VERDICT A one-sit read rom-com with lots of heart and plenty of sarcasm, perfect for Jenny Han or Emma Lord aficionados.— Emily Walker