cover image Say You’ll Remember Me

Say You’ll Remember Me

Katie McGarry. Harlequin Teen, $18.99 (464p) ISBN 978-0-373-21237-8

Striking and spirited, 17-year-old Elle Monroe is the only daughter of the governor of Kentucky, and her privileged, high-profile upbringing includes many expectations and little freedom. Hendrix “Drix” Pierce has led a life of poverty, disadvantage, and mistakes that have cost him. Elle and Drix meet by chance, and their chemistry is immediate, but the governor’s reelection and Drix’s plea deal for a crime he didn’t commit threaten any chance of romance. As they get to know each other in secret, Drix desperately tries to improve himself and stay out of prison, while Elle attempts to better understand who she is beyond what focus groups, her parents, and their staffers think. Steamy sensual scenes accent ideas about love and respect while other key moments challenge notions about loyalty, family, and power. Elle and Drix narrate alternating chapters with a naturalness and ease that echoes their relationship; there’s a smooth flow from scene to scene, and the story never flags. McGarry (the Thunder Road series) delivers a romantic tale with substance, and Elle and Drix are characters worth getting to know. Ages 13–up. [em]Agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary & Media. (Jan.) [/em]