LOVE LETTERS FOR JOY

A wholesome romance featuring a case of hidden identity and an asexual protagonist with cerebral palsy.

Love is in the air at Manhattan’s Caldwell Preparatory Academy thanks to an anonymous student known as Caldwell Cupid. Overachiever Joy Corvi is on the romantic side of the ace spectrum but hasn’t had much time for first love, preferring to devote her energy to academics. She’s poised to become the school’s first valedictorian with cerebral palsy—if she can stay ahead of her academic rival, self-assured and handsome Nathaniel Wright. But when people around Joy begin pairing off thanks to Caldwell Cupid, she starts to wonder whether she’s missing out. Seeking a sympathetic ear, Joy emails Caldwell Cupid for advice, and their correspondence causes her to question her approaches to love, friendship, and her future. Details about the matchmaker’s identity are cleverly revealed to readers but not to Joy, providing dramatic irony as they wait for the truth to emerge. Joy’s cerebral palsy is an important part of her character, woven into her emotional and physical responses throughout. The discussions of social themes are satisfying, and the scenes of gentle courtship and vulnerable confessions as Joy’s heart thaws are charming. A central source of conflict for Nathaniel and Joy is developed without subtlety and features a rushed resolution, however. Joy and Nathaniel are cued White; supporting characters bring racial diversity and span the queer identity spectrum.

Earnest, sweet, and socially aware.