Every Reason We Shouldn’t

Gr 7 Up–Sixteen-year-old pairs figure skater Olivia Kennedy hasn’t felt like herself since her disastrous performance at Skate Detroit. Attending a real high school for the first time, helping out at her family’s failing skating rink, and living up to the expectations of her gold medal Olympian parents have her wondering who she is and where she belongs. When Olympic speed skating hopeful Jonah Choi begins practicing at her rink and attending her high school, she finds someone who understands what it means to be a competitive teenage athlete. As she begins a relationship with Jonah, Olivia begins to rediscover her passion for skating and build the confidence to make a comeback. Olivia and Jonah are both biracial Asian Americans and hang out with the other Asian students in their school. Olivia feels like she doesn’t fit in with her high school friends because they don’t understand why her passion for skating is more important than things like school dances. Vibrant secondary characters add extra dimension and fun to the story.