cover image Over You

Over You

Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus. HarperTeen, $17.99 (288p) ISBN 978-0-06-172043-7

After a lifetime of moving around, 17-year-old boarding school dropout Max Scott roots herself in New York City in this snappy and original romp from the authors of The Nanny Diaries. No stranger to heartbreak, Max creates a regimented program called Ex, Inc., which helps girls get over their exes after being dumped. Max rushes to help a new client, Bridget, after her boyfriend, Taylor, breaks it off. Over the next few weeks, Max encourages Bridget to ignore Taylor, keep her dignity, and create a “Moment” where she can (hopefully) prove she’s over him. Healing isn’t easy, though, as Max knows firsthand: she’s still secretly reeling over Hugo, a rich socialite who threw her heart for a loop. McLaughlin and Kraus offer an appealing yet wildly improbable vision of teenage New York City life: the city is Max’s playground, as she hits up trendy clubs, uses Teen Vogue’s closet like a lending library, and has spontaneous dance parties on the street with her gay BFF. While the authors don’t get points for plausibility, it’s still a sharply written and romantic summer read. Ages 14–up. (Sept.)