Biggest Flirts

Tia Cruz is National Merit Scholar–smart, a star drummer in her school’s marching band, and is set to become the first person in her family to go to college. She’s also the school’s official drunken party girl, who has a steady friend with benefits for when “nobody more intriguing is available”—and she likes it that way. But Tia’s plans to avoid love and long-term boyfriends are in flux after new-guy Will arrives in Miami from Minnesota. What started as a one-time drunken hookup is suddenly causing havoc in Will’s and Tia’s lives, especially after they are both elected Biggest Flirts for the yearbook. The drumming thread in Echols’s (Dirty Little Secret) romance, first in the Superlatives series, gives Tia and Will needed dimension—despite their steamy instant connection, it’s hard to buy into their banter as legitimate chemistry or dialogue. Most of the novel feels like drama for drama’s sake, with Tia self-sabotaging her reputation for no real reason and Will dating another girl even as he pursues Tia. Ages 14–up. [em]Agent: Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary Agency. (May) [/em]