Float

Gr 9 Up–Marchant’s debut centers on 17-year-old Waverly (described as white), who has traveled from Alaska to stay at her Aunt Rachel’s (described as white) house in a small coastal town in Florida for the summer. Waverly is approaching her senior year in high school and has yet to find a place where she belongs. She doesn’t really have any friends, and she’s never fit in with the interests of her divorced parents, college professors working in different areas of science. Once she arrives in Florida, Waverly is forcefully introduced to her aunt’s neighbor’s good-looking son, Blake (described as white), who initially seems too cool for her company. Shortly after their meeting, Waverly tries to recreate her image among Blake and his friends, hoping to impress them and fit into their inner circle. By the end, Waverly experiences first love and friendship, but like summer itself, all good things must come to an end. The plot is similar to works by Sarah Dessen and Jenny Han as it deals with first loves and romantically cute scenes. It’s a sweet story with a fun beach setting and mostly charming characters, but the writing is somewhat amateur. At first, the romance is rushed, but there are some sweet interactions between Waverly and Blake once the relationship has grown. Readers will need to see past some of the unbelievable details, the awkward transitions from hating to liking, the grammatical errors, and the repeated description of Blake’s “disheveled hair.”