The Promise of Amazing


First-time novelist Constantine puts some creative twists on the “opposites attract” theme in this well-crafted romance starring good-girl Wren Caswell and “brainathiminal” (combination brain, athlete, and criminal) Grayson Barrett. Told from the teens’ alternating points of view, the story begins when Wren, a waitress at her parents’ medieval-themed inn, saves the life of a choking guest. At this point, she knows nothing of the guest, Grayson, whose shady past got him expelled from his old private school, news Wren later acquires through gossip and confessions. When Grayson lands a job at the inn, the two begin to fall for each other, in spite—or perhaps because—of their different personalities. Conflicts arise as Grayson’s former partners in crime threaten to ruin his relationship with Wren, and Wren, tired of being labeled “bright but quiet,” grows too bold for her parents’ taste. Filled with action, passion, and adolescent angst, Constantine’s novel introduces two believable characters with strong, honest voices who work to find themselves as they chart new territory together. Ages 14–up. Agent: Tamar Rydzinski, Laura Dail Literary Agency. (Jan.)