The Unlikely Romance of Kate Bjorkman by Louise Plummer

If only Wes, the annoying boy next door, would help her with her scheming! This charming, fluffy concoction manages to pack into one goofy plot every conceivable trope, from fake dating to the makeover to the big misunderstanding. Surely she can get Michael to ask her to prom.

Liz hopes that her senior year might turn into a real-life romantic fantasy, as an old crush has moved back to town, cuter and nicer than ever.

Liz Buxbaum has always adored rom-coms, not least for helping her still feel close to her screenwriter mother, who died when she was little. There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.Ī grieving teen’s devotion to romance films might ruin her chances at actual romance. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.Īutumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart their mothers are still best friends. Plummer (The Romantic Obsessions & Humiliations of Annie Sehlmeier, 1989, etc.) has crackerjack timing as she stirs up one fresh romance it's funny and fast-paced, crammed with witty dialogue and a cast of amiable characters who are not only mildly wacky, but who love each other and will do whatever they can to help Kate find her de rigueur happy ending. When Kate learns that Fleur and Richard are just friends, and that her crush is requited, the course of love almost, but not quite, runs smooth. But she likes Fleur, and so stifles her own romantic impulses (the same cannot be said about Kate's sexy best friend Ashley). Kate has had a crush on Richard for as long as she can remember, even after his family moved to California four years earlier. At Christmas, her brother Bjorn, his new wife Trish, his friend Richard, and Richard's beautiful companion Fleur arrive at the Bjorkman's Minnesota home for a surprise visit. She's also a writing about recent events in her life, with The Romance Writer's Phrase Book to guide her. Senior Kate is six feet tall, legally blind without her glasses, and bright beyond her years.

The Unlikely Romance of Kate Bjorkman by Louise Plummer