Nerdcrush

Self-proclaimed nerd Ramona Lambert, who is Black, often feels that she and her family have nothing in common, especially now that her older sister Noelle is following the path their parents laid out for her. But Ramona isn’t interested in attending a prestigious college or pledging a sorority; she wants to study design and continue creating costumes for her cosplay character, Rel. Usually reserved Ramona flourishes when she adopts Rel’s online persona, so she decides to reach out via email to her classmate and longtime crush Caleb Woolf, who is white, as Rel instead of Ramona. Though the two begin a tentative flirtationship online, Caleb, who doesn’t know Rel is Ramona, rarely pays her any mind IRL. As the correspondence continues, Ramona learns that she and Caleb have more things in common than she could have imagined, but even as Ramona begins believing she might have a shot with him, she worries that he won’t like her when he realizes that Rel is an act. Emrich uses Ramona’s shy ventures beyond her comfort zone and slow evolution into a more confident version of herself to develop a wholesome and bighearted debut about quirky characters boldly embracing their idiosyncrasies, learning that it’s okay to stand out, and challenging the assumptions placed upon them. Ages 13–up. Agent: Laura Cameron, Trans- atlantic Agency. (Feb.)