Heart Check

The sports-obsessed residents of Hamilton Lakes, Mich., expect great things from high school junior and hockey superstar Luke Dawson. But when the coach of the high school team is fired for embezzlement, it throws the athletes (and their upcoming season) into turmoil. Meanwhile, rumors start spreading that Luke’s classmate Harper Braedon—a well-known critic of the funding imbalance between athletics and other school activities—is responsible for the coach’s dismissal, an accusation that tanks her social standing and dashes her hopes of using her academic connections to expand her online jewelry-making business. Though Luke and Harper are constantly feuding at school and at the diner where they both work, their mutual dislike soon softens into understanding and, to their shock, attraction. As the year progresses, the hockey team founders under their new coach’s management style and Harper contends with mounting social vitriol. Charlotte’s debut hits all the right notes for an enemies-to-lovers romance as Luke and Harper navigate personal and romantic complications while pursuing their respective goals. Few surprises ensure an always-buoyant atmosphere and the white-cued protagonists’ sizzling chemistry, as well as exciting and vividly described hockey sequences, further enrich this fun, fast-paced, and flirty read. Ages 14–up. Agent: Caryn Wiseman, Andrea Brown Literary. (Nov.)