Love, Jacaranda

The elements comprising this dramatic, jauntily plotted epistolary novel will be familiar to consumers of romantic literature, though they’ve been updated with a modern sensibility. After a video of her singing at the Southern Publix where she works goes viral, 16-year-old Jacaranda Abbott is plucked from foster care by a mysterious benefactor. What begins as a thank-you email to him turns into a diary-style narrative, though it’s never quite believable that she would confess so much to a stranger. “John Smith” provides a full ride to Michigan’s Midwestern Arts Academy, where Jacaranda blossoms into a star and falls in love with her suitemate’s rich, generous cousin, Jarvis. Jacaranda worries that her secret—her mother is in prison for hitting an abusive boyfriend with her car—will alienate her from her peers. Jarvis harbors a secret of his own, one that many readers will guess before story’s end, and the two must confront their differences. Flinn (Girls of July) integrates serious issues such as class dynamics, the myth of meritocracy, and domestic abuse without seeming heavy-handed. For better or worse, she doesn’t investigate them deeply; this novel is best consumed as wish-fulfillment fantasy for any teenager who belts show tunes in the shower. Ages 13–up. [em]Agent: Erica Silverman, Sterling Lord Literistic. (July) [/em]