Chloe wants to audition for a ballet program in NYC, but her mom shuts it down. Determined to keep chasing her dream, Chloe concocts a plan to drive to an audition while her mom is away on holiday. But, from the beginning, everything goes wrong: Chloe's cute but obnoxious neighbor blackmails his way (and his dog's) along for the ride, and they get into a car crash before she even makes it to the dance hall. The end result, though, is an epic road trip and an adorable, unexpected romance accompanied by a sick playlist. This entire story, told through Chloe's perspective, is about rule-breaking t not the bad kind. Instead, it's about doing all of the things that are difficult and brave in order to get what you want. This debut is heartfelt, and it'll hit home for people who are insecure, who feel like their bodies don't match their interests, who struggle to understand the feelings of others.

With her overprotective mother away, seventeen-year-old African American ballerina Chloe plans to drive from her home in New Jersey to an audition in DC. She runs into a roadblock when her neighbor and frenemy, Eli, blackmails her into taking him (and his dog, Geezer), along for the ride. This is an engaging, romantic story that explores dealing with relationships, loss, and having the courage to follow your heart, romantically and otherwise.

Seventeen-year-old Chloe goes on a road trip to audition for a dance conservatory.With her mom away on a cruise, good girl Chloe Pierce resolves to attend auditions in Washington, D.C., for her dream school, a prestigious ballet conservatory, even though her widowed mom said no, wanting her to remain closer to home. Just as she leaves New Jersey, handsome-but-loathed neighbor Eli Greene fake blackmails her into taking him—and his dog—along and giving them a ride to the train station in D.C., therefore shortening his trip to see his father in North Carolina. Chloe unhappily complies, her anger toward him eventually explained by an incident from their shared past. The plot meanders along, and so do the pair of black teens (and the dog), eventually reaching the auditions and talking openly about their unresolved history. Chloe's former crush on Eli is resurrected, but thankfully only after he's properly apologized for his misdeeds. The ending feels a bit pat, as does Chloe's assumption that Eli's insistence that everything happens for a reason is indeed the truth. This is a slow, quiet book best suited to contemplative readers who can forgive the uneven pacing and minimal character development.A decent debut from a promising new writer—readers will hope for a stronger sophomore offering. (Fiction. 12-18)