Publishers Weekly
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Following an inseparable summer before freshman year, Jordan Elliot came out as a lesbian to her best friend Mackenzie West, who subsequently dropped her. Now a high school junior, aspiring journalist Jordan is in her element and ready to take the school newspaper by storm. Except she doesn’t get named editor-in-chief like she was hoping for. Worse still, she’s covering the girls’ volleyball team, which Mack just became captain of. Regardless, Jordan is determined to put her all into her assignment—she’ll go to the games, learn the rules, and hang out with the team to make her reporting more authentic, just like any good journalist would. As she spends more time with Mack, however, Jordan starts catching glimpses of her old friend beneath the popular girl facade. But finding their way back to each other means confronting why Mack stopped being her friend in the first place. A sluggishly paced plot offers few surprises, but characters with affable personalities and Jordan’s endearing self-confidence as both a journalist and a proud fat teen put a positive spin on this enemies-to-lovers romance by Miller (Out of Character). Jordan and Mack read as white. Ages 13–up. Agent: Michaela Whatnall, Dystel, Goderich, & Bourret. (Feb.)

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Apart from Doctor Who, journalism is everything to fat, nerdy lesbian Jordan Elliott. Finally, it’s junior year and she is at the top of her game, ready to step into an editor role. Except that when newspaper assignments are posted, there seems to have been some kind of mistake: Jordan is covering the volleyball beat. As if it couldn’t get any worse, her best-friend-turned-nemesis, Mackenzie “Mack” West, is the team’s captain and Jordan will have to write a feature spotlight on her. Determined to make the best of a worst-case scenario, Jordan resolves to keep their relationship strictly professional, but she suspects Mack is working a different angle. Can they not kiss and make up? Fiercely protective best friend, Audrey, won’t let Jordan forget the past, and Isaac, third member of their geek squad, is distracted by Olivia, Mack’s best friend and teammate. Meanwhile the Davenport High volleyball team is vying for the state championship, and a late-night hookup, hit piece, and epic romantic gesture ensue. Miller serves a perfect setup for high-school drama in this charming rom-com.

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

After being assigned the volleyball beat, an aspiring journalist must confront her history with the team captain. Jordan Elliot, a white-coded lesbian high school junior who self-identifies as fat, takes her work on the school paper very seriously, even when she doesn’t get the editorship she wanted. Being forced to spend time with the former friend who betrayed her—Mackenzie West, with her “summer-tanned skin and blonde hair that fell down her back in perfect waves”—is harder to swallow. But with her friends’ support, Jordan commits to writing the best articles she can about both the volleyball team and Mack. As she and Mack hang out, talking through how and why Mack hurt her, Jordan’s romantic feelings are revived. If they’re going to truly move on, though, Jordan must first confront her fear of rejection. The characters display an intriguing balance of endearing qualities and flaws that together add to the emotional impact of their choices. Jordan’s genuine love for her friends and their hilarious banter further flesh out their world, making the non-romantic sections as enjoyable as the flirting and heart-to-hearts that Jordan and Mack share. Queer characters both exist casually and get to have their unique experiences highlighted, and Jordan’s existence as a fat person is explored in ways that inform her personality and highlight her insecurities without becoming the entirety of who she is. A textured high school rom-com that serves up a lot of heart. (Romance. 13-18) Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.