May 20, 2025 by Scholastic Press
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
When Nina Reilly is out on a hike, trying to avoid a family gathering, she manages to sit down on a juice box with disastrous results and scrape her leg in quick succession. Normally, this wouldn't be the worst thing, but when a cute, buff guy her age shows up, offering her a band aid and even a pad and tampon (hey, he has sisters and knows how to be prepared!), it's a little embarrassing. He even loans her his jacket to cover up with, but the two part suddenly when both have places to be. Realizing that he left his keys in the coat pocket, Nina and her cousin Linh investigate and do a little light stalking based on the gym card on the key ring. It takes a couple of days, but she manages to run into the hiker, Ryan, and save him from being run over. The odd thing is that he doesn't seem to remember their encounter. Surmising from the key ring evidence that he is a dog person, when Ryan suggests they meet in the park, she brings along a neighbor's dog, to which she is allergic. Taking Benadryl makes her fall asleep on the date! When Ryan's sister finds out Ryan is with a girl, she invites Nina back to the house for a family dinner, because the grandmother makes fantastic pho. Nina is half Korean, and her father, who abandoned her mother before she was born, and has another family she's never met, is back in town and dating her mother! When Nina goes to Ryan, she runs into his twin brother, Ian, who is really the one who was on the hike. This creates an awkward situation, and Nina spends a lot of time going back and forth between the brothers, trying to decide which one is a friend, and which one is a romantic interest. She also has to navigate incorporating her father into her life, especially when her mother informs her that he is moving in with them. Since the two have been living with the mother's sister, Sarah, this creates a lot of tension. Ryan and Ian also have divorced parents, and both are super sweet and cute. How will Nina ever be able to decide to date just one of the twins, and how can she avoid hurting the one she doesn't?
While it seemed to me, an old person, that the entire misunderstanding could have been avoided if Nina has just told Ian the truth when she arrived with Ryan at the family party, young readers will enjoy all of the subterfuge and secrets of a "hidden" romance. There are plenty of fun dates, including one helping out at a food truck and getting a steak as payment! Since both the twins and Nina has Korean heritage, there are some interesting details about food and families that give this some more interest.
The emotions surrounding Nina's father, and his new role in her life, make sense. Nina has a close relationship with her mother as well as her cousin Linh and Aunt Sarah, who are both worried that the father will take off again. While it seemed unlikely that there would conveniently be a house for Nina's mother to buy right next door to the aunt, it is satisfying to think the family will still be together.
While the idea of an angsty love triangle is more of a young adult romantic concept, this story didn't have any more mature language or situations other than kissing, so would be a decent choice for older middle grade readers as well. Fans of Debbi Michiko Florence's Get it Together, Keiko Carter, Kasie West books, or Sarah Dessen titles will enjoy this more complicated than normal "meet cute".
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