Forever Hot/Truly Fine (Grove Hill Giants)
Gr 7 Up—In this "flip book," readers get two stories for the price of one. Forever Hot follows Grovehill High transfer student Skylar Cross. Her mother just died, and already her father has found a new wife with a seven-year-old in tow. The teen is sure that she is never going to accept these two new people in her life, but when her stepsister is in danger, Skylar realizes that maybe she doesn't have all the answers. Flip the book over and meet Ford Frost-he's the star of the football team, but his life is hardly perfect. Between his mother's romance with his coach and his deadbeat dad, Ford might just lose his cool and everything he's worked for. Skylar's and Ford's stories inevitably cross, which ultimately leads to romance and misunderstandings. At first glance, the book looks like it will be a fun and flighty story of the cheerleader and the football player managing love and high school, but both stories lean on the side of "problem" novels. The writing is stilted and often comes across as an adult perception of how teenagers think and speak. The character development is also lackluster and stereotyped, which will make it difficult for readers to connect with the protagonists. However, those looking for hi/lo books might find this to be popular with readers who want more than just a standard romance.—Traci Glass, Eugene Public Library, OR