Love, Lucy

Gr 9 Up—In exchange for enrolling as a business major for her first year in college, Lucy Sommersworth is treated to a summer backpacking trip across Europe. There, Lucy meets Jesse Palladino, an enticing musician who is living his dream as a traveler, not tied down to anything or anyone. Jesse and Lucy quickly become entangled in a vacation romance, but before long, Lucy has to go back home to start college, while Jesse stays in Italy. Will Lucy stay in contact with Jesse? Will she ever see him again? Or will she be able to move on and find a dream boyfriend at college? Lucy faces dilemmas and challenges that most young people can relate to: fighting with friends, standing up to parents, breaking up, and balancing obligations and desires. While still a teenager dealing with typical problems, Lucy is also growing up fast and learning how to be an adult. This means struggling with very hard decisions that could make or tear apart friendships, relationships, and family. A contemporary romance with surprising depth in its coming-of-age elements, this modern update of E. M. Forster's A Room with a View will appeal to fans of Sarah Dessen, Stephanie Perkins, and Lindner's reimagined classics. It would also work well in high school literature classes studying Forster's novel.—Eden Rassette, Kenton County Public Library, KY