PLANNING PERFECT

Felicity Becker lives for rules, organization, and Pinterest vision boards until her carefully charted path to the future falls out from under her.

Ever since her freshman year, the White, Jewish Boston 16-year-old has devoted all her time and energy to the Social Friends Committee, helping to plan school events so that she can win the election for Junior Committee President, get accepted into a good college, and ultimately pursue a successful career. However, when she loses to laid-back lacrosse player Brody Wells, her archnemesis, she feels like her dreams are crumbling. Now Felicity’s aspirations depend on planning the perfect wedding for her cheerfully chaotic mom so that she can impress one of the high-powered guests and secure an internship at New England’s top event management agency. The wedding presents another unexpected opportunity: spending the entire summer with Swedish and Korean American Nancy Lim, the long-distance friend she met at a symposium for queer teens. Nancy invites Felicity to use her family’s Vermont apple orchard as a destination wedding venue. In the midst of relationship-centered conflict, Felicity grapples with her ace-spectrum sexuality, her deepening feelings for Nancy, insecurities about her personality, and her overwhelming anxiety. An important aspect of her satisfying character growth comes from learning to let go of her shame around accepting help. High emotions and an impending deadline drive the story at a fast pace that fits Felicity’s character.

An engrossing, emotionally dynamic coming-of-age story.