You Say It First

Living in the Philadelphia suburbs, Meg Warren, 18, is passionate about politics, giving speeches at her private school and volunteering for nonpartisan nonprofit WeCount to talk people through voter registration. It’s WeCount that leads to her first phone conversation with fellow 18-year-old Colby Moran, who works a dead-end job in Alma, Ohio. After their heated argument about voting abruptly ends with Colby’s confession that his father recently killed himself, Meg can’t get Colby out of her head—though she knows she should focus on her misgivings about attending Cornell in the fall and her mother’s drinking problem, which has worsened since her parents’ divorce. Calling Colby to apologize, Meg admits a secret of her own, leading to a long-distance confidence and eventual in-person romance, even as the duo’s differences threaten the possibility of a real relationship. Alternating perspectives, Cotugno (How to Love) goes beyond romance and politics, adroitly tracing how both are changed by their conversations and experiences stepping into each other’s contrasting worlds. While the relationship itself may feel contrived, its longevity seems less important than the honesty and courage each individual gains to face the future. Ages 13–up. (June)