The Foreseeable Future

March 1, 2018
After a YouTube video catapults her to viral fame, a girl must decide whether to stay in her small town with her first love or move on.On the cusp of high school graduation, white Northern California teen Audrey Nelson has secured a place at local Whedon College. However, unlike her academia-obsessed parents, Audrey just wants to get out of school and start her life. She finds a job in a retirement home, where she quickly discovers that she has a knack for the work. And there she meets Seth O'Malley, a white boy who works the same shift. The two instantly click. But something happens at the Fourth of July beach party: Seth's ex-girlfriend, Japanese-American Cameron Suzuki, goes into cardiac arrest, and Audrey performs CPR, saving her life. Someone films the incident, and when it goes viral, reporters begin to hound Audrey. Suddenly she has new opportunities knocking on her door, just as her love for Seth begins to burgeon. She must decide whether to stay with him or get out of town and fulfill her dreams. Audrey is impulsive and she loves as hard as she works, and Seth will leave readers swooning. The rest of Audrey's life--her family drama and long nights at work--are painted equally vividly.A heady romance elevated by a cast of memorable, realistic characters. (Fiction. 14-18)

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April 1, 2018

Gr 10 Up-Audrey doesn't have her life mapped out in front of her. She does know that she's not interested in attending college in her hometown, where her parents work as professors. During the last few weeks of high school, she takes night classes to get her CNA (Certified Nurse Assistant). A boy from school, Seth, helps her get a job on the night shift. One night on a date with Seth, Audrey administers CPR to a girl who collapses on the beach. Unbeknownst to her, someone films it and the video goes viral. Audrey spends the rest of the summer navigating the pressure of Internet fame, dating Seth, working, and figuring out her future. Throughout the course of this contemporary YA, the protagonist figures out her life choices, from college to career and romance, including having sex for the first time, with Seth. The young woman breaks away from parental expectations to achieve happiness on her own terms. This is a realistic and positive portrayal of someone who chooses not to go to college, yet still finds a meaningful career, a scenario not often seen in YA fiction. VERDICT Recommended for fans of Jenny Han and Jennifer E. Smith.-Jennifer Rummel, Cragin Library, Colchester, CT

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 18, 2018
High school graduate Audrey is not looking forward to attending the northern California college where both her parents are professors. What does excite her is the idea of working as a nursing assistant over the summer. When she rescues a teen on the beach using her recently acquired CPR skills, Audrey’s life takes an unexpected turn: suddenly, she’s a local hero, and then—after a video of the event goes viral—a national one. Soon Audrey lands a job at a retirement center, becomes romantically involved with a fellow employee, and gains the confidence to follow her own dreams instead of meeting her parents’ expectations. A subplot involving tensions in Audrey’s parents’ marriage adds drama, as does Audrey’s excruciating decision-making process about whether to accept an attractive job offer far away from home or stay put to be with her boyfriend. In a story that raises the idea that college isn’t for everyone, Adrian (Like It Never Happened) creates a relatable heroine and a colorful cast of minor characters, including Audrey’s favorite retirement home resident, a former talent agent. Ages 14–up. Agent: Susan Ginsburg, Writers House.

April 1, 2018
Grades 9-12 Audrey has never been as academically inclined as her professor parents and scholarly siblings, and as her senior year of high school ends, she feels only trepidation about college. She's supposed to attend her beach town's local university, where her parents teach, but she isn't sure that's the right path for her?she just wants to live and work in Seattle. After she applies to work nights at the local nursing home, Audrey starts spending time with Seth, the laid-back, charming classmate she's never gotten to know before. When Seth's ex-girlfriend has a freak heart attack at the beach, Audrey saves her life with CPR, and someone films it. The resulting video goes viral, and when Audrey is suddenly semifamous, she's looking at a future with more options than she ever thought she'd have. More than just a summer romance, this is a languidly paced exploration of how the traditional path isn't right for everyone. Hand to thoughtful teens who like substantive questions with a side of summer love.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2019
Practical teen Audrey questions her future the summer after graduation. Her professor parents push their local liberal arts college, but Audrey considers pursuing nursing out of state. A surprising (and authentic) romance with a boy devoted to their seaside-California hometown makes her decision harder. This breezy summer story boasts a well-balanced mix of romantic, family, and personal conflicts that will appeal to Sarah Dessen fans.

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)