The Fangirl Project

A lovesick teen will stop at nothing to win over her crush in this frothy meta rom-com by Reekles (Love & Lattes). Everything feels like it’s changing for 16-year-old Cerys: her father moves out following her parents’ separation, and she’s now attending a new school without her best friend and crush, Jake, who recently moved away. Worse, Jake seems fine without her and has even made a new BFF named Max, a fellow superfan of Jake’s favorite fantasy book series and TV show, Of Wrath and Ruin. Determined to cement her place as Jake’s most important bestie—and maybe-girlfriend—Cerys plots to woo him by diving headfirst into the world of fandom, cosplay, conventions, and Wednesday-night OWaR watch parties at Jake’s. The only problem is that Max is always around. As Cerys delves deeper into the OWaR fan sphere, though, she’s surprised to find herself becoming a real supporter of the show, which provides a much-needed distraction from her insecurity about studying art, her father’s sudden reappearance, and Jake’s flaky behavior. Cerys’s exuberant first-person narration keeps the pages turning, while a deliciously tropey romance keeps the tension high in this lighthearted novel about being oneself, pursuing one’s passions, and reveling in life’s many surprises. Main characters cue as white. Ages 14–up. (Nov.)