Let Me List the Ways

June 1, 2018

Gr 9 Up-Mackenzie and Nolan are next-door neighbors and best friends. They grew up together and share a special bond that none of their friends fully seem to comprehend. It's their senior year of high school and reality has set in that their paths will soon diverge. Their daily hangout sessions, weekend trips to the beach, and monthly movie nights will be a thing of the past. They decide to relive their favorite memories together and create a "Senior Year Redo Bucket List." Somewhere between the backyard campout and their spring break trip, Mackenzie realizes that she is totally and completely in love with Nolan. This is the only secret she has ever kept from him, and she must decide if and when she will spill her veiled affection. What makes this teen romance unique is that Mackenzie is living with type 1 diabetes. While diabetes is not the main story, it is referenced often enough to give readers an idea of what it might be like to live with the chronic condition. Teens will be able to connect with the characters and feel their sadness, embarrassment, heartache, and love through the dialogue and Mackenzie's first-person narration. VERDICT This book will please the usual romance enthusiasts.-Melissa Lambert, Trenton Public Schools, MI

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2018
Two best friends try to make the most of the time they have left together before heading off to different colleges.Ever since Mackenzie "Zie" Clark was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, boy-next-door (and hot baseball pitcher) Nolan Walker has been at her side as she's learned to manage her disease. From TP'ing a bully's home to skipping classes to see a movie (with their parents' permission), they have been inseparable. As their high school graduation approaches and they begin to date other people, they make a bucket list of all the things they want to do together before summer, including having a campout, going to Disneyland, and getting tattoos. Afraid it could ruin everything, Zie worries over whether or not to add confessing her love for Nolan to the list. While their friendship is sweet (Zie takes care of Nolan when his throwing shoulder aches, and Nolan always carries around Hershey's Kisses just for her), their romance is bland. White (Our Broken Pieces, 2017) evades tense situations and fast-forwards the plot at its peak to reach her desired conclusion. Zie's emerging independence is overshadowed by her preoccupation with her seemingly one-sided crush, but her daily experiences as a diabetic are insightful. The cast is assumed white and supporting characters are two-dimensional.Another light and summery read for fans of the "friends-to-lovers" trope. (Fiction. 12-18)

COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

April 1, 2018
Grades 9-12 Seniors Mackenzie Clark, aka Zie, and Nolan Walker have been neighbors and best friends forever, with their own set of rituals, like their nonstop creation of top 10 lists. Their lives are so closely entwined that not only do they share everything, but Nolan has also become proficient in caring for Zie's type 1 diabetes and is always alert for changes in Zie's demeanor. The problem is that Zie is secretly, desperately in love with Nolan but feels the admission of her feelings would ruin everything, even when he starts to date Erin. As Zie and Nolan cross things off their list of things to do before graduation, they find themselves in a situation where their truest feelings for each other surface. White has written a light, summer read perfect for readers who enjoy a little romance, fun, and a lot of heart. The realistic portrayal of Zie's type 1 diabetes offers courage to readers who feel hesitant about putting their health before their appearance, while fostering mindfulness in others.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)