Save the Date

Gr 9 Up—It's all about family drama in Matson's latest that takes place over a three-day weekend. Charlie Grant's life is far from perfect. Her parents are selling the house she grew up in, her mother's long-running, much-beloved comic strip is ending, one of her brothers is estranged from the rest of the family, and she has to decide where she is going to college next year. But this weekend needs to be perfect. Charlie's oldest sibling is getting married in the backyard. It's the last time that everyone will be together in the house before they sell it. Of course, nothing goes as planned. One disaster after another puts Charlie together with the event planner's assistant, who just happens to be totally cute and nice. Meanwhile, Charlie is distracted by her long-time crush, Jesse, her brother Mike's best friend. Despite the two possible love interests, the focus is on the family drama. Readers will likely guess the secrets that are revealed before Charlie does, but that doesn't detract from the story. There are a lot of characters to keep track of (a character list at the beginning of the book helps), and the "what can go wrong, will go wrong" trope can wear a little thin. Still, the likable characters and quirky details will please Matson's fans, even if the romantic elements of the story take a backseat. Watch for a cameo from Andie and Clark from The Unexpected Everything.