Picture-Perfect Boyfriend

March 20, 2023
Eight months before this book’s start, high schooler Kenzie Reed vowed to completely change her life. Because her family didn’t support her photography aspirations, she gave up the hobby to cultivate an interest in her parents’ optometry business, joining her school’s science club and attending meetings for future healthcare professionals. She even invented a boyfriend named Jacob Miller to impress her parents. Kenzie thinks her upcoming vacation to Maui will be a much-needed break from pretending, until she learns that her parents invited Jacob on their vacation, too. But if Kenzie made him up, who is this stranger? Desperate to keep up the charade and uncover the mystery behind the newcomer, Kenzie stays mum. The couple explore Maui while getting to know each other, connecting over similar interests, shared conflicts, and immediate chemistry. Hawaii’s natural beauty shines via Kenzie’s tourist eye, and her airy narration and tendency to romanticize the world around her through her camera’s lens read as a love letter to the island. Dean (Love & Other Great Expectations) spins an immersive and romantic story about being true to oneself that features Kenzie’s intensely personal troubles amid a far-fetched premise that recalls classic rom-com tropes. Ages 12–up. Agent: Eva Scalzo, Speilburg Literary.