ISBN: 978-1534473522
Published Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2021
Genre/Format: Romance/Hardcover, Paperback, eBook
Reading Level: Although Amazon and NoveList suggest this book is for grade 8 and up, I believe this will appeal to older teens due to the main character being 17.
Book Summary: Seventeen year old Mia's older sister, Samantha, is getting married and she insists that Mia, because she is a bridesmaid, must find a date for the wedding, otherwise she'll be paired with the groom-to-be's annoying 12 year old brother. Mia is an accomplished swimmer, she's on the math team, has excellent grades and wonderful friends, but she's never been kissed. Overwhelmed with the thought of finding a date, her friends volunteer to set up some meet-cutes so that Mia can find a date. Meanwhile, annoying Samantha has all-but moved back into the house and goads their parents into being more strict with Mia, ironically making it more difficult for Mia to find a date. But her friends persist and Mia now has an assortment of boy-friends and meet-cutes to sort through. Will she pick the math team captain? The new transfer student on the swim team? The mysterious guy from the party? The teenager helping his grandma at the community garden? Or will she flub it all up and end up with the little brother?
Author Background: Originally from Pennsylvania and now residing in Ohio, The Meet Cute Project is Rhiannon Richardson's debut novel.
Critical Evaluation: The Meet Cute Project is a typical romance novel and, therefore, it is a fun read, perfect for a day at the beach or when you just want an escape. The main characters in the book are African-American which, as you can see from the video above, is a nice change from the usually all-white meet-cute. The characters are of an assortment of races and ethnicities, and there is a token lesbian friend. And although identity politics is not the point of this book, it is nonetheless refreshing to read a novel in which none of the main characters are white.
Speed-Round Book Talk: Mia must find a date to bring to her sister's wedding otherwise she'll be stuck with the 12-year old little brother of the groom. Can Mia's friends set up enough meet-cutes to make this happen, or will Mia have to walk down the aisle with annoying Jasper?
Library Program: Inspired by the community garden mentioned in The Meet-Cute Project, our teens are going to make their own miniature greenhouse. We will make this an eco-friendly project by using old plastic spinach and lettuce containers, and then we'll have an assortment of reused items that will hold the dirt used for planting the seeds. We'll decorate little name stakes and then the teens can bring home their greenhouses and watch their seeds turn into seedlings.
Potential Challenges: I cannot foresee any challenges to this novel, unless someone thinks that romance as a genre shouldn't be in the library, and that is not a reasonable objection. There is no sex, drug use or violence, and it will be a positive addition to the YA romance section.
Reason for Inclusion: This book is a contemporary romance novel about African-American teens. African American teens who enjoy romance novels will enjoy seeing themselves represented in The Meet-Cute Project.
References
MsMojo. (2016). Top 10 Meet Cutes in Movies. You Tube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
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