A self-aware, meta rom-com with all the tropes delightfully delivered. High school junior Gretchen is "shiny person adjacent"--older sister Hen, cousin Carmen, and best friend Sam love her and indulge her rom-com habit even if she never wants to join them for activities including other people. But now she's fallen for Sam, he's announced he's moving away to live with his dad in New York City for senior year, and college freshmen Hen and Carmen are too caught up in their new lives to be available. What's a girl to do? Apparently, accidentally enter a stand-up competition under a false identity, start a flirtation with very cute (if maybe a jerk) business student Jeremy, explore new friendships, and basically discover herself. Although this offers all the beats of the romantic stories Gretchen loves, it's really a feel-good story about a girl finding herself (and several boys) that's set in a South Portland, Maine, high school populated by an amazingly nice group of teens. Feminist Gretchen is a work in progress; she recognizes the flaws of the rom-com playbook (the titles referenced include many of the greatest hits from the '80s and '90s), but her go-to insult tends to be some form of douche. Gretchen and other major characters are White, excepting White/Filipina Carmen, Brazilian American Sam, and Natalie, Gretchen's Black/Japanese school friend. Don't mind the snowy setting: This is a charming, sunshiny beach read. (Romance. 13-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Gr 8 Up--Gretchen, a junior in high school, loves to hang with her sister and cousin who are in college. So when the two are home on break, rather than staying home eating snacks and watching vintage romantic comedies on Netflix, Hen and Carmen convince Gretchen to use a fake ID and join them on a night out at a comedy club. Totally out of character, Gretchen poses as Carmen's roommate Sabrina and ends up onstage for the open mic night. It turns out that Gretchen likes being onstage in front of strangers. In the meantime, she begins to fall for her long-time BFF, Sam, who is moving at the end of the semester, and also starts to have feelings for Jeremy, who works at the comedy club and offers her guidance on how to perfect her act. She believes that her life might be mirroring the plot of one of her beloved rom-coms. Readers will truly be entertained by Gretchen's exploration of the world beyond her little bubble at home. The large cast of characters has various skin tones; Gretchen and Hen are white and Carmen is half Filipinx. VERDICT Readers looking for a light romance will not be disappointed in this highly engaging story that will keep them rooting for the protagonist until the end.--Elizabeth Kahn, Patrick F. Taylor Science & Technology Acad., Avondale, LA