WREN MARTIN RUINS IT ALL

A newly instated student council president’s ambitious schemes to abolish a dance go awry when his archnemesis, the vice president, suggests a sponsorship with a trending social media app.

As student council president, Wren Martin intends to enact meaningful change before he graduates by eliminating the Dance. The Dance may be the biggest social event of the year, but it eats up over half the student council’s budget, which instead could be used to fix the hole in the auditorium’s stage. Unfortunately, not everyone on the student council agrees with Wren’s revolutionary plan. Even worse, smart, handsome, annoyingly perfect, and inexcusably tall Leo Reyes, the vice president, suggests an alternative to keep the Dance and their budget: a sponsorship with Buddy, an anonymous friendship social media app. This coming-of-age romantic comedy centers on an asexual protagonist in a lighthearted enemies-to-lovers relationship. Wren’s quirkiness and precise comedic timing strike a refreshing balance with his stubborn, jaded attitude, making him as endearing as he is flawed. Social media plays a significant role in the plot, showing both the benefits and drawbacks of online relationships with honesty. Grief and loss also feature as central themes of the story. While Wren reads white, the well-developed cast of secondary characters reflects some diversity, including Leo (cued Latine), Wren’s best friend and her family (implied Black), and the other two student council members (cued Chinese American).

Sharp, lovable, and timely.