Perfect Ten

Sam Raines, 17, is tired of being lonely and single—he hasn’t even kissed anyone since breaking up with his ex, Landon. So he agrees to participate in a Wiccan love spell conducted by his best friend Meg, and he puts together a (mostly shallow) list of qualities for a “perfect ten” of a boyfriend: sexy, “thick hair,” ambitious, etc. Almost immediately, prospective partners start popping up all over Athens, Ohio: Gus, a jazz-playing French transfer student; sweet and artistic Jamie, a sophomore; and bisexual rock star Travis, who can’t keep his hands off Sam. Philips (the author of My Faire Lady as Laura Wettersten) keeps this wish-fulfillment fantasy moving briskly, thanks to the quippy dialogue and Sam’s dalliances with all three boys, as well as Landon. It’s a too-good-to-be-true setup by design, but although pure realism isn’t really the goal of this magick-driven plot, the characters are more types than real people. Philips successfully keeps the conclusion from feeling foregone, however, and Sam and his friends grow plenty along the way. Ages 14–up. [em]Agent: Brent Taylor, Triada U.S. Literary. (June) [/em]