Flirting with Fate

In Cervantes’s (the Storm Runner series) heartening romantic comedy with a speculative twist, a 17-year-old journalism intern of Mexican heritage must befriend a handsome stranger to reclaim a family blessing, or risk cutting off her kin from otherworldly gifts forever. While “stubborn, quick-witted” rising high school senior Ava Granados “thinks very little” of fate, she does believe in benedición: a magical deathbed blessing that women of the Granados family can bestow upon their female descendants. After a storm and minor car accident delay her en route to see her dying grandmother, Margarita, Ava arrives with just enough time to say goodbye—and learn that it’s too late to receive her blessing. But when the ghost of Margarita Granados returns with a saint in tow, Ava learns that all might not be lost if she can find the guy who received her blessing, instead. With playful banter (“I truly despise being a ghost, mija, and do not recommend it”), well-drawn intergenerational familial relationships, and a delightfully atmospheric meet-cute, Cervantes’s romantic tale will charm readers in search of a little magic—and a touch of outside narration à la Jane the Virgin. Ages 12–up. Agent: Holly Root, Root Literary. (Apr.)