Stir Me Up

Gr 10 Up—Camille Broussard grew up working at her father's fancy French restaurant in Vermont, and she loves it. Despite the long hours and often difficult work, she is proud to have earned the right to move up in the "kitchen pecking order." She has a boyfriend, who only seems interested in one thing: convincing her to have sex. When Cami's stepmother discovers that her nephew Julian, who is a marine on tour in Afghanistan, has been injured in an explosion, she decides he should move into their house while he recovers. Julian is angry and bitter about his recently amputated leg, and Cami is less than thrilled that he is taking over her bedroom-at least until she gets to know him. Their friendship starts to heat up into something more, and it is not long before Cami realizes that she will have to choose between her boyfriend and Julian. This steamy romance is fairly well written, and the issues of Cami's sexual development are handled realistically. Explicit content, which borders on being new adult, makes the title best suited to older teens. Despite a large cast, the secondary characters-including Cami's father, stepmother, and best friend-are three-dimensional and well defined; each one has motivations and personality. Cami's love for cooking is an important part of the plot, and her struggle to decide what to do after high school helps give the story added depth. [e-original]—Liz Zylstra, County of Prince Edward Public Library, Picton, Ontario