I really enjoyed this book. I pulled it out thinking that it would be something kind of light and trashy to lose myself in for a day, and it ended up being something completely different. It is a keenly observed book. I can only describe it as a part-nostalgia part-relatable part-slow-burn-queer-romance coming-of-age creature... and I didn't want to put it down. Romanoff has an uncanny ability to describe the awkward, corporeal experiences of being a teenager - at least as I experienced it.

It's essentially about snapchat, which is something that I didn't grow up with and that (as a 31 year old) I don't use regularly, so in some ways it felt very interesting to imagine my own adolescent life with the influence of that kind of social media, since there were other aspects of the main character's story that felt very true to my own. I also always relish a good overtly feminist bent, and with complex friendship navigation plotlines. Would definitely recommend picking this up. It's so much more than it seems at first glance.


Mentioned in a blog post at https://booksbeyondbinaries.blog/2020/01/06/how-i-learned-i-love-thrillers/ ( )

I really enjoyed this one. The teenagers actually felt like real teenagers and I loved the added layer of feminism. And of course really appreciated the LBGTQ representation. ( )

Grades:9-12
Characterization: Very good
Literary Merit: Very good
Recommended
Lulu loved posting photos and videos of herself on Flash, a Snapchat-like social media network that is all the rage with her friends and the other the private school kids of Los Angeles. That is until she accidentally posted a video that led to a breakup with boyfriend Owen and strained relationships in her group of friends. Lulu still posts to Flash without really addressing the incident, not wanting to let her 5000 followers know that there might be trouble in paradise. Then Lulu meets Cass, an intriguing girl who doesn’t use social media and doesn’t appear to give much thought to her appearance. Cass takes Lulu to The Hotel, the passion project of her friend Ryan whose uber-wealthy family includes the creator of Flash. The Hotel feels like a sanctuary where Lulu can just be herself and not worry about maintaining her online persona, but eventually, The Hotel’s renovation is completed and the problems of the outside world intrude.

I liked this book a lot more than I expected to. At first, it seemed that Lulu would be the stereotypical spoiled, rich girl. While there are some aspects of Lulu’s personality that fit with that, Romanoff has created a three-dimensional character who is likable despite her flaws. I found myself rooting for her and wanting her to come into her own.

Romanoff addresses some well-trod themes dealing with the dangers of social media, but she does it in a way that felt fresh possibly because the “big mistake” happens months before the action of the book begins. Lulu is grappling with how to move on from that and who she wants to become while also figuring out how to define her sexuality.

Recommended for teen collections where contemporary YA is popular. Parents are largely absent and teen drinking and marijuana use occur throughout the novel. ( )