Listen to Your Heart

Gr 7 Up—Love is in the air and on the airwaves in this sweet romance. Still stinging from a breakup with her ex-boyfriend, introvert Kate Bailey must leave a summer job at her beloved lake where her parents manage a marina and return to school. There, she reluctantly takes a podcasting class with her best friend Alana, despite Kate's fears that she won't enjoy it. No one is more surprised than Kate when she inadvertently lands a role as cohost of the school's podcast, doling out advice to anonymous callers. However, she soon realizes that helping others isn't as awful as she'd feared, and she quickly collects fans of her snarky humor and tasteful advice. But when Alana's good-looking crush, Diego, calls asking for love advice, Kate is suddenly confused and words of wisdom fail her. Kate and Diego have adorable chemistry. West delivers banter with plenty of sparks as Kate steps up to the mic. The character's emotional growth will resonate with readers as she discovers courage and new confidence. There are no real surprises in the plot, but this novel still manages to be satisfying.