Tweet Cute

November 11, 2019
Echoing the premise of You’ve Got Mail, this comic romance set in New York City stars social media maven Pepper, daughter of the founders of popular franchise Big League Burger, and coder Jack, whose parents run a deli, Girl Cheesing, in the East Village. Long before their parents’ companies become engaged in a war involving rights to a popular cheese sandwich, Pepper and Jack became friends on a chat platform (developed by Jack) that hides its users’ identities. Not knowing they’re close online buddies, the two teens, who know each other IRL from swim team, get active in protecting their parents’ respective businesses. As the battle between Big League Burger and Girl Cheesing grows increasingly heated, Pepper and Jack form a romantic bond, but things grow complicated. Alternating between Pepper and Jack’s points of view, Lord’s snappy debut features a strong contemporary beat and a host of sympathetic characters. Although the outcome of Pepper’s and Jack’s frenemy relationship is fairly predictable, family secrets and surprising turns of events keep the story moving until misunderstandings and loose ends resolve. Ages 12–up. Agent: Janna Bonikowski, the Knight Agency.

November 1, 2019
Romance and a Twitter war brew between two New York teens whose families run competing eateries in this fresh debut. Though unsure of her aspirations after high school, high-achieving student Pepper Evans is sure that good grades and entrance into a top college will please her mother, co-founder of Big League Burger, one of the country's top fast-food franchises. Classmate and funny guy Jack Campbell feels overshadowed by his gifted identical twin brother, Ethan, a feeling that grows when their father hints that he expects Jack to take over their family's deli, Girl Cheesing, while Ethan goes on to greater things. When Big League Burger announces the release of a new menu item called "Grandma's Special," a sandwich that is a copy of a Campbell family classic, Jack tweets a snarky response through Girl Cheesing's account. Unbeknownst to him, Pepper, instructed by her mother, claps back, and a battle ensues. While their public slam down goes viral, Pepper and Jack anonymously confide in one another through an online messaging app called Weazel, which Jack developed himself. From meme wars to social media marketing, Lord accurately depicts various sides of today's online culture. Amid all the digital hoopla is an engaging story about family loyalty and pursuing one's own passions. Most characters are white except for some secondary characters whose names suggest ethnic diversity; Ethan is gay. A just-right combination of sweet and cheesy. (Fiction. 12-18)

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December 1, 2019

Gr 7 Up-High schoolers and potential heirs to their family deli and burger franchises, Jack and Pepper are not exactly friends. Jack is living in the shadow of his popular and somehow more handsome identical twin brother, while Pepper, a Nashville-to-NYC transplant, quickly becomes a chameleon at their fancy private high school. Instead of installing a social media team to keep their businesses on the up-and-up, both sets of parents insist that the teens handle it all. It's not long before a Twitter war between the two companies starts and, unknowingly to Jack and Pepper, they are each on the other side of the keyboard. Filled with humor, heart, and a dose of social media reality-including consequences-debut author Lord packs a punch in this adorably fun novel. Subplots abound, including a student-made anonymous app that ends up bringing people together. Family issues will strike a chord with readers, whether or not they're familiar with the ins and outs of running a restaurant. Lord keeps it light when she needs to but isn't afraid to bend to the point of breaking when it matters most. The action takes on a darker edge as the anonymous app subplot thickens, and the companies' competition goes viral in the Twitter-verse. VERDICT Readers will fall in love with the main characters, rooting for them to have their meet-cute.-Erin Holt, Williamson County Public Library, Franklin, TN

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2019
Grades 9-12 Pepper just wants to get through her senior year of high school, but her mother insists she puts her powers of GIFing to use for their family burger chain's Twitter account. Jack knows he could do more for his family's diner on social media, if only his dad would let him. But when the two get locked into a genuine Twitter war over their respective restaurants' grilled-cheese recipes, things get complicated on- and off-line. This is a unique take on the YA rom-com trope that the person of your dreams is right in front of you. While describing reaction GIFs doesn't always work on the page, debut author Lord has found a way to weave web culture into the lives of her protagonists in a way that feels natural, and the possibility for crossed signals and mistakes going viral consistently ups the tension. This plugged-in romance will likely be seen as a precursor to the way teen love stories will be told for years to come.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)