June 15, 2021
A Brazilian American teen pop star hopes a fake relationship will turn her image around. After a humiliating public breakup moments before winning an award, 17-year-old Natalie's tearful breakdown becomes an embarrassing meme. To rebrand and fix her reputation, Natalie agrees to pretend to have a new boyfriend, and she signs a contract that sets her up for three months with up-and-coming British teen actor William Ainsley, who is White and Jewish. As she gets to know William, she unexpectedly starts falling for him. He's sweet to her when the paparazzi are watching, but is it all an act? The romance is appropriately charming while the narrative also compellingly addresses the pressures of fame and social media. This entertaining debut seamlessly weaves in explorations of Latinx and immigrant identity: Especially heartfelt is Natalie's struggle with not speaking enough Portuguese to connect with her grandparents in S�o Paulo. Natalie, who moved to the U.S. when she was 8, straightens her curly hair and shies away from her Brazilian nickname, Nati, since none of her classmates in the States could pronounce it properly. Her best friends, Pakistani American Padma and Brazilian American Brenda, two girls who are dating each other, provide a refreshingly supportive friendship, complete with delightful text message exchanges. A joyful story that hits all the right notes. (Romance. 12-18)
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August 1, 2021
Gr 7 Up-Natalie, a 17-year-old Brazilian pop star, and her beautiful boyfriend Trent are the power couple of the year, but just minutes before she is about to receive a People's Choice Award, Trent dumps her backstage on camera. Now, her music charts are dipping, and ugly memes of Natalie are all over social media. Desperate for a comeback strategy, she decides to sign a contract with a fake boyfriend who will hopefully rebuild her image in a positive way. Enter William Ainsley: a cute, British white guy from London who is new to acting and nothing like Trent. As they get to know each other, they discover something about themselves that poses some serious questions about the biz they are in. In addition to the pressures of being a famous pop star, Natalie also struggles with conflicting feelings regarding her family, her heritage, and facing relatives back in Brazil who want her to visit for Christmas. Natalie is hesitant to go because she isn't fluent in Portuguese, and she feels like a sellout for pursuing her dreams in America. Natalie has light brown skin. The story has diverse secondary cast with some lovable characters, including Natalie's best friends: Brenda, who is Brazilian, and Padma, who is Pakistani. Except for Natalie, everyone in her circle of friends is part of the LGBTQIA+ communities. The dialogue is very relatable to teens with the use of text messages and social media acronyms. VERDICT A great coming-of-age story about being true to yourself.-Lacey Webster, Acadia Parish Library, Crowley, LA
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September 15, 2021
Grades 8-11 Imagine that you're a Brazilian international pop star about to win a prestigious award. Then, imagine that then you get publicly dumped by your boyfriend on live TV and your subsequent breakdown becomes a shareable meme. Natalie (Nati) is living that life, which is why her PR team and agent are doing damage control by finding her a fake boyfriend. Enter British indie-film actor William Ainsley. Nati and William's banter and unexpectedly genuine chemistry is entertaining, and their romance teaches readers what can happen when one opens one's heart and trusts the universe. The story also includes an adorable bestie-duo/couple, Padma and Brenda, whose text messages to Nati bubble with humor and lead the story in a fun direction. This modern romance is sure to capture many hearts, as well as keep readers thinking about the characters with a smile long after the last page. Hand this to fans of Maureen Goo's Somewhere Only We Know (2019) and Gloria Chao's Rent a Boyfriend (2020).
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