I’m not a K-Pop fan, but so many of my friends are. Plus, what is better teen drama than a high school theatre production? I remember reading Shakespeare as a teen and not necessarily getting it all the time, but if I had books like these that put it in perspective, or a friend like her, I might have understood better. One of the nice things about this book is that Claudia crosses social divides to help others understand Shakespeare.

I also have to reiterate how this book reads like all of my favorite John Hughes movies-you know exactly what’s going to happen, but that’s totally okay. It’s that unexpected cuteness and cultural relevancy that makes Mills’ books so fun to read.

When studious, angry Iris seriously referred to a K-Pop hero as her “smol son” I chortled. Her books are like sweet, sweet candy to me her characters are always fleshed out, with surprising depth. There are few contemporary YA authors that I really love, but Emma Mills is one of them. If you like sweet, joyful, jovial boys, come for the adorable boy and stay for the female friendship. You can tell that she really gets how nice it is to have besties. It’s a nice contrast to the “prickly girl blooms with love from the right man” trope, and one of Mills’ signatures is sweet friendships between girls. Iris (who has the best name, and I’m not just saying that because it’s my middle name) gets all the best lines, and her friendship with Claudia blossoms in a delightful, sincere way. Iris is a prickly, loyal girl who has an all-consuming love of K-Pop and a heart-on for her ex-girlfriend. I love Claudia, who, like all of Mills’ protagonists, is a sweet and fully-formed human-but I really, really love Iris. This book, which reads like every classic teen rom-com in existence, brings all the classic delight, too: new friends, new loves, and the healing of old wounds. On the other hand, I genuinely have no idea what it has to do with the story.Ĭlaudia has accidentally overheard her classmates Iris and Paige’s breakup, which is not just sad for them, but for her-mean girl Iris, who has a set of genuine brass balls (figuratively), threatens to ruin her if she ever blabs a word of it.Īs the school gods would have it, Iris and Claudia are both working on their school’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, where popular guy Gideon takes a liking to Claudia, and Iris gradually lets Claudia in as a trusted friend. It’s pretty, sure! I like the funky tapestry/embroidery, and I like that it’s not dumbed down. I can’t decide if I love or hate this cover. Relationship Status: What Fools These Mortals Be Talky Talk: The Course of True Love Never Did Run Smooth Cover Story: Love Looks Not With The Eyes, But The Mind

Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills