From the Publisher
"This dramedy of errors putts along with a great deal of humor and heart. Elston beautifully depicts the warm, in-each-others'-pockets family atmosphere and creates for the cousins a refreshingly believable friendship. . . . Charming."—Kirkus Reviews
"This is a book meant purely for the joy of the story."—School Library Journal
PRAISE FOR 10 BLIND DATES
"A fun story of finding love, getting to know yourself, and getting to know your family."—Kirkus Reviews
PRAISE FOR 10 BLIND DATES
"In a funny holiday romance that has Sophie dog-sitting in a hockey rink, watching porn at a drive-in theater, and playing the Virgin Mary in a middle school Nativity, Elston cleverly reflects the family members' personalities through their choices of dates for Sophie."—Publishers Weekly
PRAISE FOR 10 BLIND DATES
2020 ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers Top Ten Title
2020 Florida Teens Read Book List
PRAISE FOR THE LYING WOODS
* "This is a mystery that introduces characters slowly, with a thoughtful alternating story line and backstory that allows the plot to maintain its pace. Owen's frustration and actions, along with the people whose futures were destroyed by his father, are understandable and build to a satisfying conclusion."—School Library Journal (starred review)
PRAISE FOR THIS IS OUR STORY
"Impossible to put down."—Booklist
PRAISE FOR THIS IS OUR STORY
* "This mesmerizing romantic mystery is bursting with plot twists and turns that will leave the reader highly satisfied and wishing they had not yet finished the book."—School Library Connection (starred review)
School Library Journal
05/01/2021
Gr 7 Up—High school senior Olivia lives in Shreveport, LA with her huge Italian American family. She's not graduating as valedictorian, but she's more than proud to be runner-up as salutatorian. Before she can head off to Louisiana State University for an accounting and political science double major, though, she needs to graduate…which may be an issue because she didn't fulfill her gym credits. To save her standing as salutatorian (and avoid the judgment of her cohort of aunts, uncles, and cousins) she has to skip Senior Party Week and volunteer at the town's big golf tournament. While she's setting precarious golf ball pyramids, her cousins are standing in as Olivia at parties so no one can find out her secret. Elston's prose is clean and easy to digest, making this a speedy read for teens. While the premise is highly improbable and the characters follow teen rom-com tropes, this book delivers a fun romp with lovable characters (or characters that are enjoyable to hate). This is a book meant purely for the joy of the story. VERDICT Fans of Maurene Goo and Becky Albertalli will enjoy this fun, fluffy read.—Alexandra Remy, Windsor P.L., CT
Kirkus Reviews
2021-03-13
Senior week isn’t all fun and games if you’re in danger of not graduating at all.
Ask anyone and they’ll tell you Olivia Perkins has got it all. She’s class salutatorian and an accomplished AP student; she’s bagged an acceptance at Louisiana State University and has her majors and future career in international tax law planned to the last detail. So when she learns, shortly before the end of the school year, that she failed her off-campus golf PE class and is at risk of not being allowed to graduate, her entire world shatters. With her future and reputation at stake, Olivia, alongside her small circle of co-conspiring cousins and friends, must find a way to make up her PE hours without tipping off everyone in her highly involved extended Italian American family—while also putting in appearances at the graduation parties filling her week and navigating the shoals of nascent romance as she falls for Leo Perez, the son of old family friends who is possibly cued as Latinx by his name. This dramedy of errors putts along with a great deal of humor and heart. Elston beautifully depicts the warm, in-each-others’-pockets family atmosphere and creates for the cousins a refreshingly believable friendship. Overarching themes of integrity and the dangers of miscommunication avoid becoming heavy-handed.
Charming. (Fiction. 12-18)
