By the Book: A Novel of Prose and Cons, written by Amanda Sellet, reviewed by Klaudia Janek

Summary:  This RomCom is a book lovers perfect match!  Mary Porter-Malcolm is from a large family.  Both her parents are professors and Mary has been attending a small charter school, where being super smart is an asset.  The school closes the summer before sophomore year and Mary now has to attend the local public high school.  Mary resigns herself to being friendless for the year after being dropped by her old friends.  However, she is quickly found by a group of friends who find her references to classic literature wise and insightful.  Mary deems Alex Ritter the ultimate rake of Millville High.  They plot to write the Scoundrel Survival Guide as a lesson to other girls about certain types of boys.  Mary’s new friends also work to give her the ultimate high school experience.

Straight Talk for Librarians:  I LOVED this book!  I like the classic literary quotes sprinkled throughout the book.  I like the focus on family and friendships.  I like that Mary didn’t try to hide that she and her family were super smart.  The developing romance between Mary and Alex was funny, witty, and swoon-worthy.   The cast of characters draws the reader into the fun drama of this book.  There are lots of emotions in this wide circle, but the story flows and draws the reader in.  There are a lot of laugh-out-loud moments and an HEA that the author did a nice job of tying all the pieces together.  It would be easy to imagine being in the quirky town and settling into the local cozy bookshop called Toil & Trouble.  This book is a 2020 release and didn’t seem to get the attention that it deserves.  The cover art is very bookish in muted colors.  Overall, it’s a smart, funny, and literary contemporary YA romance. I highly recommend this book for any high school library.