Love Somebody
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4.5 • 2 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
A sparkling YA debut rom-com about a popular high-school girl, her ex-boyfriend-turned-best-friend, and the girl they both fall for—perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli or Casey McQuiston.
Sam Dickson is a charismatic actress, ambitious and popular with big plans for her future. Ros Shew is one of the smartest people in school—but she’s a loner, and prefers to keep it that way. Then there’s Christian Powell, the darling of the high school soccer team. He’s not the best with communication, which is why he and Sam broke up after dating for six months; but he makes up for it by being genuine, effusive, and kind, which is why they’re still best friends.
When Christian falls for Ros on first sight, their first interaction is a disaster, so he enlists Sam’s help to get through to her. Sam, with motives of her own, agrees to coach Christian from the sidelines on how to soften Ros’s notorious walls. But as Ros starts to suspect Christian is acting differently, and Sam starts to realize the complexity of her own feelings, their fragile relationships threaten to fall apart.
This fresh romantic comedy from debut author Rachel Roasek is a heartfelt story about falling in love—with a partner, with your friends, or just with yourself—and about how maybe, the bravest thing to do in the face of change is just love somebody.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this thought-provoking contemporary Cyrano de Bergerac reimagining that leans into social media's dark side, debut author Roasek brings a sapphic twist to the false suitor trope. Actor Sam Dickson, 17, chafes at the thought of being a nobody, intent on leaving Worcester, Mass., to make it big as "the next Emma Watson." When her best friend and ex-boyfriend, 17-year-old Christian Powell, develops a crush on classmate Rosalyn Shew, an arts critic who just panned Sam's one-act play, Sam agrees to help, manipulating social media to make the soccer star seem more palatable to the prickly intellectual. But while texting on Christian's behalf and feeding him the right lines, Sam develops unexpected feelings toward the girl she initially considered an enemy. Meanwhile, Ros lowers her own emotional defenses while exploring the true meaning of love for a school presentation. Sam's morally dubious hobby of serially catfishing and ghosting people on dating apps ("It's not like I'm doing any lasting damage," she justifies) sets her up as someone ripe for personal growth, but it may not sit well as a means to manipulate—and engage in—romance. While the story starts off slowly, with a trio of flawed, white-cued protagonists navigating familial situations, it eventually develops into an enjoyable romance as the three come into their own.
