CAUGHT IN A BAD FAUXMANCE

Back home in Florida for winter break, a Latino college freshman faces emotional upheaval.

Struggling after his first semester at CalArts, an art school in Los Angeles, Devin Báez feels like a fraud. He’s also feeling distant from his family—twin sister Maya, dad, stepmom, and stepbrother. Returning to their old cabin near a lake for the first time since Mami died is bittersweet, especially with the small town’s decline and the neglected cabin’s deterioration. Adding to the stress, Dev is trying to finish his application for a prestigious animation mentorship, money is tight, and they might have to sell the cabin. When Dev bumps into Julian Seo-Cooke, the Korean and Cuban son of neighbors who are “loaded, obnoxious, and annoying as hell,” everything becomes even more complicated. Julian has become distractingly handsome, and he asks Dev to pretend to be his boyfriend in order to get a persistent ex to leave him alone. Everything culminates at the town’s annual Winter Games, historically the scene of a bitter rivalry between the Báezes and the (likely cheating) Seo-Cookes—and this year, the stakes are higher than ever. The sweet enemies-to-lovers romance develops slowly and believably. This debut also explores changing familial relationships, particularly between Dev and Maya, whose life paths diverge amid their financial troubles. The treatment of grief is layered, reflected throughout the family’s shared memories as they figure out how to move forward.

A satisfyingly complex story encompassing both romance and family healing.