The Love Song of Ivy K. Harlowe

Gr 10 Up–Andie, a 19-year-old working at her family’s strip club in Providence, RI, has been in love with her friend Ivy for years. But charismatic, guarded Ivy has never been interested in relationships. She is in her element at Kinetic, a club where she effortlessly finds people to take home, always for just a night. But Andie is surprised when Ivy keeps spending time with Dot, a high schooler with a passion for makeup, after their night together. Having always imagined Ivy settling down with her, Andie struggles to reimagine her love story without Ivy in it. Moskowitz’s novel begins like a boisterous romance focusing on Andie’s experiences in Providence’s queer scene, but becomes an exploration of substance abuse and recovery after trauma. Readers may grow weary of Andie’s fixation on Ivy, but the book’s strength is in its exploration of what it means to be in a healthy relationship. Andie is of Italian heritage and Dot is Vietnamese American.