01/27/2014
When Derek gets kicked out of boarding school, he has to move in with his pregnant stepmother in Chicago because his father is away at sea. Life gets more complicated when chemistry develops between Derek and a girl named Ashtyn, who is the football captain at his new school. Now the teens must navigate high school while fighting hormones that send them down dangerous pathways. The dual-narrator strategy works well in this audio edition, which features chapters alternating between first-person points of view. Heyborn effectively fleshes out Derek’s personality, utilizing inflection and tone. Rubinate also keeps listeners engaged during Ashtyn’s chapters, capturing the complexity of a young woman who is both powerful and vulnerable. However, when Heyborne gives voice to Ashtyn and Rubinate to Derek, their performances falter and feel distant. Ages 14–up. A Walker Children’s hardcover. (Oct.)

08/26/2013
Elkeles (the Perfect Chemistry books) is in familiar territory with this football-themed romance between Ashtyn Parker, captain of her high school’s team, and Derek Fitzpatrick, a bad boy with a heart of gold. When Derek’s stepmother Brandi, her young son, and Derek move into Ashtyn’s suburban Chicago home (Brandi is Ashtyn’s older sister), the two teenagers clash and sparks fly. There’s never any question that Ashtyn and Derek will end up together (her current quarterback boyfriend is a jerk), and their constant claims that they can’t stand each other get old and make them both come across as oblivious. The novel alternates between the two teens’ first-person narratives, but the already weak story is further let down by clichéd, hard-to-swallow dialogue and internal monologues (“Shit, this isn’t the way it’s supposed to go. I’m supposed to keep my emotions in check and only hook up with girls who want a good time”). Elkeles does little with Ashtyn’s supposed passion for football, and the romantic chemistry isn’t enough to rescue this uninspiring, by-the-numbers romance. Ages 14–up. Agent: Kristin Nelson, Nelson Literary Agency. (Oct.)

Fans will be clamoring for this promising start to a new series.” —Booklist for Wild Cards

“Elkeles' ability to write deliciously steamy love scenes...will keep her fans coming back for more.” —Kirkus Reviews for Wild Cards

“Witty banter, unconventional characters, a heart-melting romance and a charming ending make Wild Cards a winner.” —Romantic Times for Wild Cards

“Smoldering doesn't quite do justice to the romantic banter.” —School Library Journal for Perfect Chemistry

“Teens with a taste for romance will eat this up like ice cream on a hot day.” —BCCB for Perfect Chemistry

“Elkeles pens plenty of tasteful, hot scenes...that keep the pages turning.” —Kirkus Reviews for Perfect Chemistry

“Elkeles once again delivers a steamy page-turner bound to make teens swoon.” —School Library Journal for Rules of Attraction

“Engaging characters, two of whom share a love that cannot be denied, along with more than a few humorous moments.” —VOYA for Rules of Attraction

“Fans of the series and other females will gobble up this exciting, suspenseful novel.” —VOYA for Chain Reaction

“Elkeles has a talent of writing steamy but real romance like no other author in the YA genre.” —Pure Imagination blog for Chain Reaction

02/01/2014
Gr 9 Up—Derek Fitzpatrick has executed what would have been the perfect prank if he hadn't been caught. Now that he's been expelled from boarding school at the end of his junior year, Derek is forced to live with the much younger wife of his Navy dad, who is on active duty in the middle of the ocean. For Derek, this means moving from California to Illinois because his stepmother has decided to return home to live with her father and teenage sister, Ashtyn. Ashtyn Parker is looking forward to her senior year as team captain of her football team. That's right, this girl plays football! However, her hope for the perfect season is crushed when her boyfriend-who also happens to be the team's star quarterback-betrays her and his teammates by joining their rival school. Derek is the last person Ashtyn wants to trust. But he may be just the boy to lead Ashtyn and the team to a state championship, possibly stealing her heart along the way. Kirby Heyborne's smoky Southern drawl is sure to make readers swoon. Amy Rubinate does well to present Ashytn as the strong independent character she seems to be until she falls for Derek. Elkeles's latest (Walker, 2013) is for mature listeners and should be purchased where there is a fanbase for eye-roll-inducing love stories.—Betsy Davidson, Cortland Free Library, NY

11/01/2013
Gr 10 Up—Being a prankster got Derek kicked out of school and, without a choice, he relocates with his young stepmother to her hometown outside Chicago. There, he bunks with Ashtyn, who is his stepmother's sister, the only girl on the high school football team, and quite possibly, the girl of his dreams. Ashtyn is the newly appointed team captain, and in a jealous rage, her longtime boyfriend, who had assumed he would be captain, betrays her and their teammates and transfers to the rival high school. To make matters worse, Ashtyn now has to come up with a plan to fix her broken heart and pull her team together. Deserted by her mother and the offspring of a disconnected father, she's been deceived by those closest to her countless times, and letting it happen again is not an option. Ashtyn has her vision set on football, but she becomes distracted by the game Derek plays as he sets his beguiling ways on her. The twists and turns of lust and love between her and Derek grow when she's forced to prove herself on the football field and in the field of love. Elkeles's reverse role of characters brings this steamy love story to life.—Keisha Miller, South Orange Public Library, NJ

Romance Lite in a new series from the author of Perfect Chemistry (2009). When Derek gets kicked out of prep school in California for playing a prank, he has no choice but to move to suburban Chicago with his young stepmother, Brandi. There, he meets Brandi's sister, Ashtyn, who's just been voted captain of the football team, to the chagrin of the star quarterback, her boyfriend, Landon. Ashtyn takes an immediate dislike to Derek, although she's charmed by his Southern drawl. Derek, a former quarterback himself, is impressed by Ashtyn's unlikely combination of hot femininity and prowess on the gridiron. A thin plot, weak characterizations and poorly realized setting are beside the point in this fast-moving story. There's plenty of sexually charged tension between Derek and Ashtyn as they go from beach parties and breakups to road trips and football camp. Alternating first-person chapters reveal the personal struggles of each as they fight the inevitability of falling in love. Unfortunately, the feminism implicit in Ashtyn's being a football player is undermined by her apparently unironic conclusion that real power comes from squeezing into a cocktail dress and stilettos and imagining herself a princess. Still, Elkeles' ability to write deliciously steamy love scenes for those in the early stages of their own sexual journeys will keep her fans coming back for more. (Fiction. 14­ & up)