cover image Her Secret

Her Secret

Jennifer Baker. Archway Paperbacks, $3.99 (176pp) ISBN 978-0-671-00222-0

The debut books in Baker's lightweight He Said/She Said series will provide relief for young adults worried that school is keeping them away from the action on TV soaps: these are teen-tailored versions of those formulaic and sluggishly paced plots so dear to daytime drama. After a year's stay in London with her family, gorgeous blonde Drew returns to her small-town Connecticut high school, torn between her lingering affection for her longtime beau, football hunk Jake, and for Leslie, the British rock star she's left behind. Enter younger sibling Tina, transformed from a chunky tomboy into a midriff-baring beauty who stops Jake's heart... as he does hers. Can Tina really be falling in love with her own sister's boyfriend? Take two: after listening to Drew's and Tina's side of the story in the first book, those who haven't had enough can relive the same scenarios and conversations (some repeated verbatim) from the perspectives of Jake and Miles. Yet Baker's slick writing style and near-perfect-looking characters are enough to keep diehard young romance fans turning these pages; they'll get their fill of low-cal love sagas. Ages 12-up. (June)