September 1, 2021
Gr 9 Up-Philly kids Adam and Whitney were best friends and inseparable through junior high; then, Adam's father died and the grief caused them to drift apart. Now, both are seniors, and rivals, each struggling in their own way. Adam runs his dad's faltering pinball arcade while Whitney struggles for her dad's attention as the social media voice of his growing esports franchise; a franchise intent on buying up the arcade and one of Adam's last pieces of his father. A massive Philly snowstorm gives the pair a chance to resolve their differences and rediscover their friendship (and maybe even more), but they soon learn the path to reconciliation is not always easy. This is a relatively routine YA romance plot-wise, but gives itself a boost with its inventive premise and with the way Smith explores Adam and Whitney's struggle to define themselves and their place. It's also about family and the balance between living for yourself and living up to expectations, real or otherwise. Unfortunately, the story drags quite a bit in the beginning and only really picks up just before the snowstorm hits. The two main characters are developed well and their stories are compelling, but some of the support characters come off two-dimensional. The old versus new dynamic is nicely played out with the arcade and the esports caf� each supporting the narratives of Adam and Whitney. There are several pinball references, including excerpts from a fictitious book called The Art and Zen of Pinball Repair, and while many of them are interesting, some of the references feel gratuitous. Overall, Smith's book will find an audience with folks who like a nice, simple romance or are attracted to the subject. VERDICT A sweet romance with a quirky premise and solid, relatable protagonists.-Erik Knapp, Davis Library, Plano, TX
Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
September 15, 2021
Grades 8-12 Since entering high school, Adam has helped his mom run their failing pinball arcade, his late father's passion. After his dad's passing, Adam also lost his best friend Whitney, who found new friends and fell into managing social media for her own work-obsessed father's booming gaming caf�s. Now, the two teens only interact when feuding via their workplace Twitter accounts--or is it flirting? As a blizzard threatens to shut down Philadelphia's Old City Winter Festival, Adam is determined to keep his dad's dream alive, but what about his own? Smith alternates between Adam's and Whitney's perspectives, wisely investing the bulk of the novel in developing their characters and simmering tension before executing the book's hook: Adam and Whitney are snowed in, alone, inside the pinball arcade, forcing them to confront their troubled past and promising future. The story is colored by wonderfully specific details around pinball and horticulture--which will thrill fans of those niches--but it's anchored by a satisfying enemies-to-lovers romance that will please any fan of the genre.
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October 1, 2021
"Being able to realize a mistake and move on, is what keeps us going in life." Adam Stillwater and Whitney Mitchell were the closest of friends growing up, but that ended before freshman year. Now in her senior year, Whitney is rich, popular, and busy running her father's successful eSport cafe's social media accounts. Outside of school Adam spends all his time struggling with his mom to keep his late father's pinball arcade afloat. Now Adam and Whitney's only interactions are trading occasional insults on social media through their respective businesses. When Whitney's brother destroys a vintage pinball machine at the arcade, Adam puts him and the eSport cafe on blast, leading to consequences neither could foresee. Suddenly, Whitney is single, her friends are ghosting her, and her relationship with her dad is worse than ever. Adam feels bad and offers Whitney an olive branch. As they awkwardly navigate this new peace, a blizzard hits Philadelphia in the middle of the neighborhood's annual winter festival. They find themselves alone in the arcade with nothing to distract them from finally confronting old wounds. Each chapter alternates between the perspectives of Sicilian and Palestinian American Adam and White-presenting Whitney, giving insight into their feelings and motivations. Readers will appreciate the sweet and satisfying romance, but what will ultimately resonate are Smith's well-rounded characters who are dealing with grief, loss, and letting go. Snappy dialogue, second chances, and heartfelt relationships. (Fiction. 14-18)
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October 11, 2021
Once close friends, high school seniors Adam Stillwater and Whitney Mitchell now spar on Twitter via their respective family businesses’ social media accounts. Palestinian and Sicilian American Adam is trying to keep his deceased father’s beloved pinball arcade alive, but his mother is exhausted, and it’s time for him to think about college. Cued-white Whitney, meanwhile, is trying to get her father—an entrepreneur who’s finally hit it big with an e-sports place—to notice her by handling his social media. Whitney and Adam drifted apart when high school started: she got cool, while he got caught up in running the arcade. Set in the run-up to their Philadelphia neighborhood’s winter festival, and told alternatingly by Adam and Whitney—and their snarky social media exchanges—the book shows Adam’s lingering grief, and Whitney’s doubts about her mean-girl friend choices. Then a snowstorm threatens to derail the festival and thrusts Adam and Whitney together. Smith (Don’t Read the Comments) does a nice job setting up the camaraderie between local merchants; while excerpts from an imaginary pinball repair guide grow a bit wearying, it’s a pleasure to see the two leads work through the past to build a future. Ages 13–up. Agent: Dawn Frederick, Red Sofa Literary.