Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.Īutumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart their mothers are still best friends. Details about contemporary Korean American life and culture ring true, adding texture to the story.Īn engaging, fast-paced romance between two teens longing for acceptance.
The alternating first-person narration moves skillfully between Valerie and Wes, and peripheral characters are well rounded and realistically portrayed. Over the course of the competition, the two fall for one another and also make progress in addressing their innermost dreams with their families. Wes, a dedicated jazz saxophonist, plans to use his earnings to attend music school despite his parents’ disapproval of this seemingly impractical career plan. Valerie dreams of earning enough to take her beloved grandmother to Paris. Valerie’s parents don’t take her passion for business seriously, instead constantly negatively comparing her to her older sister, Samantha. Both Valerie and Wes feel unseen at home.
A wager ensues: Whoever makes the most money during the school year gets both businesses’ earnings. But when new student Wes Jung enters the picture, he inadvertently becomes a rival when he brings to school K-pop–branded lip balm he soon realizes that there’s a market for the branded merchandise he has access to through his advertising executive mom. Korean American high school senior Valerie Kwon runs a wildly popular K-beauty business at school with the help of her cousin, Charlie Song. A rivalry between two entrepreneurial teens becomes a team effort that enables them to fulfill their aspirations.
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