AS IF ON CUE

In an effort to save the school’s arts program, Natalie must partner up with her longtime rival, Reid.

Natalie Jacobson has always treated the theater, specifically writing and directing, as a casual pursuit, just for the fun of it. She’s afraid to get too invested after seeing the financial and emotional struggles of her parents: her school band director father and burned-out, formerly successful author mother. Natalie’s fear that the arts are not a sustainable career path is further confirmed after learning about budget cuts that eliminate her high school’s drama club—and ruin her chance to direct the play she co-wrote with a friend. She combines forces with kids from other cancelled arts groups to create a one-night show to convince the school board they made a mistake. Amid the planning, Natalie distracts herself with an ongoing prank war with Reid Callahan, her dad’s clarinet protégé. But when a prank goes wrong, they’re forced to work together on transforming her play into a musical, a process that eventually exposes their feelings for each other. First-person narration alternates between the present-day and the past, revealing the origins of Natalie’s rivalry with Reid. Her occasionally rash actions can make it difficult to sympathize with her, but overall, the sweet romance (and talented theater kids!) will charm readers. Natalie and Reid are White and Jewish, and the novel deftly addresses microaggressions and antisemitism; supporting characters have a range of racial and sexual identities.

Solid entertainment.