A Date with Darcy

March 12, 2018
Merrilee is obsessed with two things: swoonworthy romance novels and swoonworthy boys (whom she has found remarkably difficult to locate). At her new school, aptly named Hero High, she suddenly finds herself surrounded by plenty of potential boyfriends who are “paranormal hero handsome,” according to Merrilee. Before she knows it, gorgeous Monroe, the big man on campus, is wooing her with roses and requests that they date. Schmidt unapologetically places romance, and more romance, at the heart of this YA novel for younger teens, as the plot spins around the ways that real-life boys either fulfill or fail to live up to Merrilee’s romantic notions drawn from literature, especially Romeo and Juliet. Schmidt has Merrilee evaluating everyone and everything in light of this play, and upends assumptions about Juliet through Merrilee’s character, while turning a would-be Romeo into a brooding stalker. Ultimately Schmidt pits Romeo against a Mr. Darcy type in this romantic comedy (complete with Bridget Jones-like mishaps), whose heroine must open herself to the idea that the boy she least expects may turn out to be her real romantic hero. Ages 12–up. Agent: Barry Goldblatt, Barry Goldblatt Literary.

February 1, 2018

Gr 8 Up-Merrilee Campbell is extremely excited to be transferring to Hero High with her best friend Elisa and her younger sister Rory. Toby, Merri's other best friend, already attends Hero High, which makes the transfer even better. Merri is a big dreamer and romantic, but believes boys in books are better than in real life. Then she meets Monroe Stratford, a junior who appears to be infatuated with her. Merri is convinced she's living Juliet's life to Monroe's Romeo until he starts to get on her nerves with his constant texts, phone calls, and demands on her time. Meanwhile, Merri can't stand Toby's friend Fielding Williams, who always seems to be around in embarrassing situations or when she's being extra clumsy. Thanks to her favorite teacher, Merri realizes that maybe her life isn't Romeo and Juliet after all. Other issues are touched on: her older sister is getting married, her younger sister is struggling with classes, and Elisa's parents are always away on a research trip. But the focus of the story is Merri and her addiction to romance stories. Halfway through the work, the narrative begins to reference Pride and Prejudice, and the story starts to pick up. The novel is told in first person, and eventually Merrilee becomes a likable narrator. Some teens may be so frustrated with Merri during the first half, that they may not stick with the story. VERDICT A good choice for large romance collections.-Natalie Struecker, Cedar Rapids Public Library, IA

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2018
When Merrilee enters Reginald R. Hero Preparatory School, she's hopeful that the experience will help her pinpoint her special talent.BFF brainiac Eliza has science. Younger sister Rory has art. On the other hand, after attending an all-girls school, it's possible that rabid romance-reader Merri will simply be distracted by classes with boys! Especially after English class with magical Ms. Gregoire, where they're reading The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Merri is sure that popular bad-boy Monroe will be her real-life Romeo. Except he turns out to be overbearing and she realizes that actually Romeo might not be so great, and Juliet needs to chart her own course. Maybe Merri's story is really Pride and Prejudice? Is scornful Fielding, the headmaster's son, as misunderstood as Darcy is? He's swoonworthy handsome but seems to resent the fact that Sen. Rhodes, Merri's older sister's future mother-in-law, pulled strings to get Merri and Rory into the prestigious school. In true rom-com fashion, artless Merri creates chaos in her first missteps in romance. A full cast of secondary characters create a chorus and support system as Merri takes charge of her story. Main characters are white, but Merri's classmates include Korean, Egyptian, and black students.This meshing of romantic classics and modern-day relationships is over-the-top good fun for tween romantics. (Fiction. 12-15)

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Starred review from February 15, 2018
Grades 7-10 *Starred Review* Sophomore Merrilee Campbell loves to read and believes the boys in books are so much better than in real life. Yet, as a transfer student to an exclusive prep school, she hopes to find a blissful romance with one of the picture-perfect guys there. Monroe Stratford, cast in the school play as Romeo, taps Merri as his girlfriend, leading her to think she could be his modern-day Julietthat is, until his possessiveness repulses her as much as the headmaster's gorgeous son, Fielding Williams, seems to be repulsed by her. As her lit class dissects Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, the reality of her situation as well as the story she thought she knew, sinks in. Then, when assigned to read and journal about Pride and Prejudice, other truths begin to surface; and like Lizzy Bennet, Merri learns that first impressions aren't always what they seem. Merrilee is a funny and lovable narrator who is clumsy, prone to awkward situations, and learns firsthand how the two literary classics she's studying parallel her chaotic life. Schmidt ably captures the discombobulation and turn-on-a-dime emotions experienced by many early teens, and surrounds Merri with a believable cast of supporting characters. This contemporary rom-com series starter is a fun introduction to classics for middle-grade readers and younger YAs, wittily making old stories new again.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)