Most Likely

In this clever mystery with romantic elements, television writer Watson keeps readers guessing as she traces the angst-filled senior year of four best friends, one of whom is destined to become president of the United States. In Cleveland, Ava Morgan, CJ Jacobson, Jordan Schafer, and Martha Custis have been a “loyal and inseparable foursome” since they met in the park before kindergarten’s start. When that park is scheduled for demolition, waylaying a senior tradition, saving the park becomes their common concern. Individual worries also plague the young women: Latinx Ava is afraid to tell her lawyer mother about her hopes for art school; white CJ’s average SAT scores might curtail her dream of attending Stanford; and Martha, a questioning white lesbian named for ancestor Martha Washington, may be stuck attending Cleveland State unless she can drum up the funds for MIT. Meanwhile, biracial (half-black, half-white) school newspaper editor Jordan, more focused on the present than the future, hides a relationship with an older man. Featuring an ethnically and socioeconomically varied cast, Watson’s well-plotted debut delicately balances humor and weighty intersectional issues. Fast-paced action and sharp-witted dialogue prove to be a winning combination, drawing out suspense all the way to the presidential reveal. Ages 12–up. Agent: Kate Schafer Testerman, kt literary. [em](Mar.) [/em]