Using lightly funny alternating narration, Lippincott (Five Feet Apart) and debut author Derrick, spouses, infuse the opposites-attract trope with some real suspense via a rom-com starring two seemingly dissimilar characters seeking the same things. Alex Blackwood and Molly Parker are both gay and freshmen at the University of Pittsburgh, but they're temperamentally different. While Alex, who reads as white, has been accused of not being able "to have a conversation without flirting," she knows she keeps things casual due in part to her home life, which involves hiding her mother's alcohol reliance. Molly, meanwhile, is quiet and shy, and close to her family--especially her mother, a transracial Korean adoptee. Alex wants to get her ex back by proving she can have platonic female friends as well as assist others, so she works to help Molly get the girl she's had a crush on for years. Despite their differences, they find themselves opening up to each other, and the authors build a friendship that feels real while letting readers wonder if the two characters will see what else is possible. Ages 14--up. Agent (for Lippincott and Derrick): Emily Van Beek, Folio Jr. (Apr.)

When Alex and Molly meet at a party during their freshman year in college, it's hate at first sight. But then Alex realizes she can help Molly capture the interest of her longtime crush, Cora, who is now in Alex's social circle. Molly is shy and utterly heart-eyed for Cora, and Alex, fresh off a rough breakup with her girlfriend Natalie, needs a way to prove to Natalie (and maybe herself) that she can be selfless. With laugh-out-loud dialogue and unflinching honesty, this follows Alex and Molly as they become reluctant partners in crime and, eventually, genuine friends. Telling their story through dual POVs, married couple Lippincott and Derrick offer characters who are so lovable, despite their flaws, that you can't help rooting for them. Molly comes out of her shell, dealing with social anxiety and a fraught relationship with her overbearing Korean-adoptee mom. Alex learns to create healthy boundaries with her alcoholic mom, who has long been emotionally absent. Neither protagonist has any need to reckon with her queerness, and their world is filled with an array of LGBTQIA+ characters. It's a treat to see Molly's and Alex's authentic growth, and their slow-burn romance pays off for the same reason: Lippincott and Derrick have built characters and relationships that shine with nuance and colorful personality.

Many begin college with hopes of personal reinvention, and Alex Blackwood and Molly Parker are no exception. Apparently opposite in every way, both girls nevertheless arrive for their freshman year at the University of Pittsburgh with the same goal in mind: to fundamentally change the way others perceive them and get their dream girls. Easy-peasy. Molly, whose mom is a transracial adoptee from Korea and whose father is assumed White, was socially anxious in high school. She worries that her close friendship with her mother holds her back. Willowy, blond Alex, who is implied White, has never once found herself at a loss in a social situation, and yet her fairy-tale story of adolescent beauty and wit is tempered by having a single mom whose struggles with alcohol abuse meant shouldering responsibilities far beyond her years. Utilizing tried and true tropes, married couple Lippincott and Derrick cut right to the heart of the matter when it comes to the mysteries of romance. Queerness itself is never the motivator of the drama, and gratifyingly, both girls find in one another the means to explore and unpack complexities of life unrelated to their sexualities. Nothing is made simplistic--not Alex's relationship to self-expression and conventional beauty standards, nor Molly's experiences of culture and community in a world that has expectations of her based on her racial identity. Sweet, honest, and filled with personality. (Romance. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Gr 9 Up--Alex and Molly, completely opposite strangers, both arrive for their freshman year of college with big plans to reinvent themselves. Alex is an independent social butterfly and serial flirt with a difficult family life and an ex-girlfriend she's desperate to get back. Molly is a wallflower who is extremely close with her mom but eager to individuate and newly determined to finally talk to the girl she's pined after for too long. After the two meet in class, Alex learns of Molly's crush and seizes the opportunity to become her relationship coach of sorts and help her land a date. Then of course, romantic comedy high jinks ensue. This sapphic rom-com is delightfully cheesy, fun, and extremely sweet. It also has its serious moments, meaningfully tackling tough topics such as cultural identity and the alcohol abuse of a parent. While the coauthored split perspectives are a little repetitive at times, LGBTQIA+ readers seeking to see themselves represented in fan-favorite rom-com tropes will still very much appreciate this one. Alex's race was not stated. Molly is biracial; her mom was adopted from Korea by a white American family and she and Molly both struggle internally with their Asian identities. VERDICT Recommended for all libraries.--Kayla Fontaine