February 1, 2020
Gr 8 Up-High school senior Halle Levitt is anything but typical: her parents are successful documentarians, her grandmother a famous YA literature publisher, and her cupcake and book blog, One True Pastry, affords her a certain level of notoriety, too. Despite her connections, Halle has worked hard to build her brand on its own merits, without any favors from her famous family members. To do so she has had to create an internet alter ego, the brave and sassy Kels. But just as Kels and One True Pastry start getting the game-changing recognition Halle has worked so hard for, Kels's and Halle's worlds collide when Halle comes face-to-face with her internet crush and fellow blogger, Nash. Halle knows who Nash is, but Nash doesn't know that Halle is Kels, and as Halle and IRL Nash start falling in love, she becomes more and more mired in the ethics of online identities. Typical family and senior year issues-SATs and college admissions, for example-add another layer of stress to Halle's life. VERDICT Cupcake cute and Belle-brainy. Fans of Miranda Kenneally and Jenny Han will like Kanter's smart (and a little bit awkward) main character whose romance is based on more than the physical...but also the physical.-Jennifer Miskec, Longwood University, Farmville, VA
Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
April 20, 2020
After the death of her beloved grandmother, high school senior Halle Levitt and her 15-year-old brother, Ollie, move in with their widowed grandfather for the school year as their Oscar-nominated parents pursue their latest documentary. Arriving in Connecticut, Halle’s worlds collide. Online, Halle is Kels, the confident faceless blogger behind One True Pastry; an army brat who loves baking cupcakes frosted to emulate the covers of the books she reviews; and best friend to webcomic creator Nash Stevens. In real life, anxious Halle hopes her blogging will bolster her application for NYU, which is also Nash’s dream school. Offline, Nash Kim, alias Nash Stevens, is now Halle’s classmate. Scared to disappoint, Halle doesn’t tell Nash she’s Kels—even when she realizes Nash is in love with Kels and Halle is falling for Nash, forming a love triangle that’s actually “just a line.” Debut author Kanter realistically paints Halle and Nash YA-centric universe via Twitter, Instagram, blog posts, and group chats, giving an insider’s peek into the fandom. Though some of these elements are more effective than others, Kanter creates robust characters and a swoon-worthy romance. Ages 12–up. Agent: Taylor Haggerty, Root Literary.
March 15, 2020
Grades 7-10 Halle is an online sensation. Using the pseudonym Kels, she has amassed a following with her Twitter charisma and popular One True Pastry blog, where she pairs cupcakes with book reviews. Nash is also a well-known presence online, thanks to his weekly web comic series?and rumor has it that Kels and Nash are an item. Ha! With her parents spending a year in Israel, Halle and her younger brother move in with their grandfather. Unexpectedly, Halle meets Nash IRL, and she is panicked to reveal that she (#reserved #shy) is actually Kels (#confident #outgoing). When Halle gets absorbed into Nash's circle of friends at school and temple, it becomes harder to confess who she is, especially once Halle and Nash become a couple. With humor and compassion, Kanter's debut is fun to read with its texts, DMs, posts, and angsty narrative. As online and IRL love and personalities clash, Halle must learn to be herself. Kudos to Kanter for featuring Jewish teens and telling a sweet story that also examines the blurring of online and real lives.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)