From the Publisher
A bracing, big-hearted story about #life, #love, and #horrifyingembarrassmentinfrontofmillionsofpeople.” — Jesse Andrews, New York Times bestselling author of Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl
“Eleanor & Park meets The Social Network in this hilarious yet touching love story about how technology can both divide and connect us.” — Tommy Wallach, author of We All Looked Up
“A charming, upbeat, well-paced romp, with plenty of humor that’s tempered with realistic emotions.” — Booklist
“This enjoyable romance is laced with cringe-inducing realism.” — School Library Journal
“Inspired by the ‘Alex from Target’ phenomenon, debut author Gagnon explores online trolling, instant celebrity, and social media frenzies with sensitivity and humor.” — Publishers Weekly
Jesse Andrews
A bracing, big-hearted story about #life, #love, and #horrifyingembarrassmentinfrontofmillionsofpeople.
Tommy Wallach
Eleanor & Park meets The Social Network in this hilarious yet touching love story about how technology can both divide and connect us.
Booklist
A charming, upbeat, well-paced romp, with plenty of humor that’s tempered with realistic emotions.
Booklist
A charming, upbeat, well-paced romp, with plenty of humor that’s tempered with realistic emotions.
Kirkus Reviews
2016-11-23
A viral photo throws two teenagers' lives into chaos.When nerdy white girl Rachel takes a covert picture of dreamy white boy Kyle as he works at his fast-food job, she thinks nothing of posting the pic on Flit with a catchy hashtag: #idlikefrieswithTHAT. The picture quickly goes viral, with Kyle's follower count climbing into the tens of thousands. After a daytime talk show gets its hands on Kyle and Rachel, the two classmates find themselves in increasingly close quarters. Romance blossoms while an ex-girlfriend and ex-friend throw wrenches in the works, the narration flipping between Rachel and Kyle. Kyle is nothing but a schmuck with a haircut, haplessly speaking without thinking and bemoaning his inability to understand subtext. It gets old fast. Rachel's narrative starts out promisingly: her online experience is filled with scorn and ridicule. Gagnon brushes up against the gender gaps in the social media age but quickly abandons it for the "nerd girl dates popular guy" trope. Given Kyle's lack of substance, this betrays Rachel's credibility as a strong female protagonist. She also fails to follow through on the social media issues she tees up. Once the pic is posted, a TV show quickly becomes the focus of the couple's storyline, and the story treads familiar "we're different people when the cameras aren't rolling" territory. A missed opportunity. (Fiction. 12-16)
