London on My Mind

Sweeping romance and family drama permeate this whirlwind queer love story by Alves (The Mermaid’s Prophecy). Brazilian 17-year-old Dayana Martins and her mother always dreamed of visiting England and seeing Buckingham Palace, home to Day’s namesake (“Lady Di—now Queen Diana—after King Oliver’s death”) and Notting Hill, the inspiration behind their favorite movie. After her mother’s death, Day’s dream sours, prompting conflicting feelings when she moves to London with her estranged father, stepmother, and stepsister. Frustrated with her new family, Day wanders to Buckingham Palace, where she collides with a Portuguese-speaking girl fleeing the premises. Sparks fly between Day and the white-cued runaway, Diana, who keeps her connection to the palace a secret. Day, who is struggling to reconcile her anger toward her father and her growing closeness with her stepfamily, revels in her fledgling romance until a royal bombshell shatters the trust between the two teens, leaving her afraid that a Notting Hill ending isn’t part of her story. While the narrative primarily focuses on Day’s tabloid romance and her blossoming relationship with her stepfamily, flashbacks at chapters’ ends measuredly expand the narrative’s emotional resonance by exploring her bisexual identity and guilt over her mother’s death. Ages 14–up. (June)