The Pick-Up

by Miranda Kenneally

Overview

Meeting a gorgeous guy in a rideshare headed to Lollapalooza is not how Mari expected her Chicago summer to start. She doesn't believe in dating…but TJ may just change her mind. Can an electric, weekend romance turn into more than just a summer fling?

When Mari hails a Ryde to a music festival, the last thing she expects is for the car to pick up a gorgeous guy along the way. Mari doesn't believe in dating—it can only end with a broken heart. Besides, she's only staying at her dad's house in Chicago for the weekend. How close can you get to a guy in three days?

TJ wants to study art in college, but his family's expectations cast a long shadow over his dreams. When he meets Mari in the back of a rideshare, he feels alive for the first time in a long time.

Mari and TJ enter the festival together and share an electric moment but get separated in a crowd with seemingly no way to find each other. When fate reunites them (with a little help from a viral hashtag), they'll have to decide: was it love at first sight, or the start of nothing more than a weekend fling?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781492684169
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	09/07/2021
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	1,025,184
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 7.60(h) x 1.00(d)
Lexile:	HL630L (what's this?)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Growing up in Tennessee, MIRANDA KENNEALLY dreamed of becoming an Atlanta Brave, a country singer (cliché!), or a UN interpreter. Instead she writes and works for the State Department in Washington, D.C., where George W. Bush once used her shoulder as an armrest. Miranda loves Twitter, Star Trek and her husband. Visit mirandakenneally.com

Editorial Reviews

"Edgy, exciting, and grounded in respect." — Kirkus Reviews

"A satisfying summer read that explores coming-of-age, falling in love, and the importance of staying true to yourself...a modern spin on such a popular trope [the 'meet-cute] helps this book stand out from its peers." — The Tempest

"Teens who enjoy reading about relationships will root for Mari and T.J. as they work to understand their relationship and their own journey of self-discovery. Recommended for purchase." — School Library Journal

"Kenneally does a great job of bringing the vibrancy of Chicago to life. Readers will sigh and swoon over the love-at-first-rideshare that develops over a long weekend in the big city." — Booklist

"Absolute love for this book!" — Kate Towery, Fountain Bookstore (Richmond, VA)

From the Publisher

09/01/2021

Gr 10 Up—A chance encounter on the way to Chicago's Lollapalooza brings bookish and shy high school senior Mari quite literally into the lap of the hot but equally awkward and artistic T.J. during a crowded shared ride to the concert. Hanging with her stepsister Sierra and her girlfriend Megan, Mari is happy to be away from her abusive mother in Tennessee; T.J., from Wisconsin, is eager to see his favorite bands with his much admired worldly older brother Tyler. Both are victims of their own willingness to please others at the expense of their own feelings and needs. This story details the weekend that opens the doors for Mari and T.J. to discover friendship, and love, as they find, lose, and find each other again. They kiss, argue, and meet their favorite band members, while tentatively sharing the secrets they each thought were too deeply buried to escape. While Mari and T.J. make their journey towards self-exploration, Tyler takes a deep look into his treatment of women and Sierra boldly steps forward and acknowledges her love for her girlfriend Megan. Most characters are presumed white but diverse characters are included, such as Megan, who is Black. VERDICT Teens who enjoy reading about relationships will root for Mari and T.J. as they work to understand their relationship and their own journey of self-discovery. Recommended for purchase.—Connie Williams, Petaluma, CA

School Library Journal

2021-06-24
Two skittish teenagers discover true love through a chance encounter on a ride share.

Seventeen-year-old Mari is a Southerner from Tennessee, visiting Chicago and staying with her dad, stepmother, and stepsister, Sierra. On their way to the Lollapalooza music festival, the girls share a ride with two brothers, and Mari unexpectedly falls for the hunky T.J. The couple hang out together at the concert, and their attraction grows intense as they dance together, but they lose each other in the mosh pit. After a humorous and highly public Twitter search, they come together again—somewhat diffidently, as Mari distrusts romance. T.J.’s natural shyness (he is self-conscious about being an 18-year-old virgin) and Mari’s unwillingness to commit to relationships (the result of anxiety provoked by her parents’ recent divorce, which her emotionally volatile mother is not coping well with) set up a constant game of advance and retreat. The story traces Mari’s personal growth from a place of distrust to a desire to be her own person and follow her gut. Although she resents her father’s betrayal, she warms to her stepsister, whom she describes as one of the best things in her life. The narrative is highly contemporary, with many current pop-culture references, and the sexual content is interlaced with the need for consent. Most characters present White; Sierra is openly bisexual, and her partner is a Black girl.

Edgy, exciting, and grounded in respect. (Fiction. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews