The Summer of Jordi Perez (and the Best Burger in Los Angeles)

Seventeen-year-old Abby Ives is doing her best to stay positive. Her best friend and her college-age sister are both in romantic relationships that take up their attention. Her mother, a local L.A. celebrity, runs Eat Healthy with Norah! and disapproves of Abby’s “plus size dress size” as well as her homosexuality. Abby focuses on her new internship at Lemonberry, an inventive clothing boutique, and her plus-size fashion blog (“I was designing how other people saw me, and that felt powerful”). Drama ensues when never-been-kissed Abby falls for her fellow intern, photographer Jordi Perez, with whom she’s competing for a job. Less interesting is the subplot—researching the best cheeseburger in town for an app with Jax, her best friend’s boyfriend’s best friend—but Abby’s rambling voice is honest, charming, and absorbing. In a story about staying true to one’s passions, Spalding (The New Guy (and Other Senior Year Distractions)) presents an interesting look at first love, social media, and private and public personas. Ages 12–up. [em](Apr.) [/em]