March 18, 2024
College freshman Éowyn Evans needs to secure the only vacant reporter position at the campus newspaper to make her journalism school application stand out. Unfortunately, so does fellow intern and “suck-up of the highest order” Nathanial “Three” Wellborn III, escalating their usual verbal sparring into vicious competition. After Three scoops her story on new campus dating app Buckonnect, Wyn embraces the “harmless, fun distraction” of anonymous online interaction, opening up to user hayes6834, with whom she forms a close connection. But when Wyn and Three team up on an investigative story about a campus drug ring that could make their college journalism careers, proximity and danger spark mutual attraction, making Wyn feel disloyal to hayes6834, even as she worries that her online crush might ghost her when he finds out that she’s “plus-size.” Hitting pitch-perfect if predictable rom-com notes, Markum (You Wouldn’t Dare) caters to die-hard genre readers in this banter-rich love story that probes online honesty and internalized anti-fatness. Parental pressures and friendship drama add classic teen vibes while a sensitively balanced portrayal of Wyn’s body image elevates this journalistic-rivalry-turned-romance narrative. Main characters cue as white. Ages 14–up. Agent: Lauren Spieller, Folio Literary.
April 15, 2024
A collegiate newsroom rivalry leads to romance. Headstrong �owyn "Wyn" Evans is set on landing a staff position on her college newspaper, a step toward one day winning a Pulitzer Prize. Her nemesis and fellow freshman intern, the handsome, privileged, frat pledge Nathaniel "Three" Wellborn III, is equally determined to get the reporter role. (Readers met Three in Markum's 2022 novel, This May End Badly, but this work stands alone.) The race is on--and Wyn won't let classes or a miserable campus job stand in the way. When a drug scandal rocks Wyn's dorm, she pivots from breaking news to human interest with help from her supportive suitemates, Dara and Madison, and the anonymous guy she chats with on a campus dating app. Even as they acquire more bylines, the fiery chemistry between the two intrepid journalists grows. Wyn's first-person narration refreshingly navigates body positivity and the mental health challenges many young people experience. Other topical subjects, such as dating, drugs, race, and class, are thoughtfully navigated if not wholly explored. The zippy momentum of the narrative occasionally renders callbacks to subplots and minor characters difficult to follow, although some supporting characters, such as Wyn's lovably cringe parents, are well developed. Comedic hijinks and campus encounters keep the romantic tension simmering throughout, and message exchanges via the dating app provide nuanced character development that makes the ultimate reveal doubly rewarding. Main characters are cued white. A headline-worthy romance that addresses topical subjects with gravity and gaiety. (author's note) (Romance. 14-18)
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May 21, 2024
Grades 9-12 In this enemies-to-lovers rom-com, Wyn Evans is a college student determined to get the reporter spot on the university newspaper, the Torch, both for her r�sum� and for her application to the school's competitive journalism program. However, getting that spot will not be easy when her competitor is the prestigious, arrogant, and handsome Nathanial Wellborn III, aka Three. Their arguments fill Torch's workspace, but is this merely competition, or is it something more? Aware of the fat-phobic prejudice she receives because of her weight, Wyn struggles with self-esteem. In an attempt to find love, she logs into her college's anonymous dating app, where she connects with user hayes6834, who seems to like her for who she is. As Wyn works to uncover a hard reality on campus, will she find a new truth about her relationship with Three and finally meet the real person behind hayes6834? Love off the Record covers the topics of body positivity, mental health, family dynamics, community engagement, college scandals, advocacy, and the college experience.
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Starred review from July 1, 2024
Gr 9 Up-�owyn "Wyn" Evans and Nathaniel "Three" Wellborn III are freshmen in college working as grunts at their campus newspaper, The Torch. Both have aspirations of landing a spot as a legitimate journalist next semester and are at war for the one spot that will be available. They play a twisted game they are both aware of: whoever gets a rise out of the other person wins first. Wyn finds Three to be the most unpleasant human being she's ever met-he has perfectly timed jabs and is also infuriatingly cute with good manners. The story takes readers through college parties, online dating sites, crushes, roommates who get suspended for selling drugs, and ultimately, the plot revolves around an article Three and Wyn team up together to write which has dangerous undertones. Wyn identifies as fat, and Three fits the stereotypical mold of an attractive, white, fraternity-pledging college guy. Due to the cultural norm of Diet Culture, Wyn's relationship with her body is complicated and evolving. Could Three be attracted to her? Markum is an excellent writer of teen romance-this story is incredibly engaging, funny, and sweet. Flirting and attraction builds in a very natural, real way. Markum masterfully explores fatphobia gently and accurately, as a self-stated plus-size woman herself. VERDICT An incredible read and a must-have for all YA romance lovers.-Gretchen Schulz
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