She Drives Me Crazy

Certain things are clear in redheaded white high schooler Scottie Zajac’s world: one, the varsity girls’ basketball team, for which she plays shooting guard, doesn’t matter, since they have no real coach, no budget, and no cheerleaders. And two, her town, low-key Grandma Earl, Ga., is the object of mockery for richer, hipper neighbor Candlehawk. So it hurts all the more when the manipulative, blue-eyed Tally Gibson, “the first and only person [Scottie] ever loved,” dumps her, transfers to Candlehawk Preparatory to play basketball, and returns to beat Scottie’s team. Scottie is determined to get revenge, and she soon gets the chance during her senior year—in the form of persuading popular cheer captain and homecoming queen Irene Abraham, who is Indian American, to pretend to be her girlfriend. Things are never easy when love is involved, and Quindlen (Late to the Party) offers a queer refresh of multiple romance genre standbys: enemies to friends (Irene once had Scottie’s car towed), fake dating, sports romance, and surmounting a broken heart. Add in a supportive family whose members actually like each other, and the result is a satisfyingly feminist rom-com mash-up. Ages 12–up. [em](Apr.) [/em]