New Year's Kiss

September 1, 2020

Gr 8 Up-Tess and her sister Lauren, whose mom is Greek and dad is Irish, have been sent to spend the week after Christmas at their family-owned ski resort while their father moves out of their house. Stuck with their grandmother who manages the resort, Tess plans to spend her time reading in her room while Lauren, seemingly undisturbed by the impending divorce, spends the vacation with newfound friends. Tess's plans are disrupted, however, by the handsome, blond-haired Christopher who broke his leg skiing a few days earlier. Together they cook up a scheme to help Tess step out of her "Type A" behavior and try 10 new things to be accomplished by New Year's Eve. Completing them jump-starts Tess's liberation as she gets out of her comfort zone by singing karaoke, wearing high heels, and flying paper airplanes with Christopher at her side. But Christopher has a secret that forces him to leave the resort, leaving Tess to decide if she is truly ready to acknowledge her daredevil side and accomplish the other tasks on her own. With the help of her sister, grandmother, and new friends, she works through the list. But she misses Christopher and the last item involving a kiss may never occur. Readers are kept on the edge of their seats while rooting for Tess and Christopher. A happy ending isn't always guaranteed when one takes the first step beyond that comfort zone, but surely love will win out. VERDICT An engaging addition to the Underlined line of romances and thrillers.-Connie Williams, Petaluma P.L., CA

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2020
A list of lifestyle goals spawns teenage romance. Introvert Tess and her extrovert sister, Lauren, are spending the week before New Year's in Vermont at their imposing grandmother's winter resort. The teens have very different plans for the week: Elegant, olive-skinned Lauren plans on skiing, dancing, and finding a winter fling while pale, mousy, blond Tess is planning on curling up with a series of good books. This plan is tossed once Tess meets Christopher in the lobby--a cute boy who's got a broken leg and nothing but time to spend chatting with Tess. These chats lead to the creation of a list of tasks Tess wishes to complete before the year is out, things that will turn straight-laced Tess into an adventurer like her older sister. Will Tess complete her list? Will the romantic snow-covered hills of Vermont turn Tess and Christopher's flirtation into something more? Tess and Christopher have charming conversations, and readers will enjoy every scene where it's just the two of them. Less enjoyable are Tess' grandmother and the half-baked subplot involving a lawsuit over Christopher's broken leg. The author puts one too many roadblocks in the way of the couple's getting together, giving an awkward structure to the narrative that comes dangerously close to scuttling the whole book despite the solid ending. Main characters are White. A charming romance held back by one too many holdups. (Romance. 13-17)

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