Lovesick Falls

Starred review from April 1, 2025
A plan for three friends to spend the summer together goes awry when love triangles cause tension. Celia Gilbert has carefully planned the trip to Lovesick Falls, a tiny town in a redwood forest whose spring water allegedly causes people to fall out of love. Celia envisions spending the summer before their senior year living in a cabin with her two best friends, Ros Brinkman and Andrew Touchstone, working at local theater festival Arden & Company and watchingPower Jam, their favorite campy British TV show. If this plan also happens to lead to Ros' finally falling for Celia, who's been secretly in love with them for the last year, so much the better. But chaos erupts almost immediately: Ros meets Jess Orlando, a tiny blond boxer, and falls head over heels for her, which makes Celia both angry and jealous. And then there's Oliver Teller, the incredibly hot star ofPower Jam, who has coincidentally arrived at the festival to act in a play and, despite an awkward first encounter, has really taken to Celia (for whom Touchstone has unrequited feelings). In this story based on Shakespeare'sAs You Like It, a play famous for its complex and comic overlapping love triangles, Drake deftly introduces a multitude of beautifully nuanced characters, weaving their stories into a queer ode to friendship, theater, and the complexities of love. Central characters largely present white; Oliver has "deep olive" skin. An exceptional retelling of a classic Shakespearean comedy.(Fiction. 13-18)

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Starred review from June 1, 2025
Grades 7-12 *Starred Review* What happens when you take a gal with a penchant for planning who can fix any sticky situation, a dude with a passion for clowning and falling in love, and a nonbinary cutie who enchants everyone they meet? Why, you get an exceptionally entertaining adaptation of Shakespeare's As You Like It. Best-friend crew Celia, Touchstone, and Ros (as described above, respectively) have convinced their parents that a summer in the redwoods-laden Lovesick Falls is what they need to prepare for senior year and impending adulthood. Celia and Touchstone gain employment with the local theater festival, and the plan was for Ros to play Hestia at home until they happen upon work--until Jess Orlando comes swinging into the picture. Ros is smitten (the feeling is mutual) and earns a job at the same plant nursery. The only problem is, this was going to be the summer Celia professed her love for Ros. Oh, and Touchstone is in love with Celia. What could go wrong? Drake captures the quintessential queer energy of the original Shakespeare, incorporating plenty of quippy back-and-forth dialogue that will please bardolaters and rom-com fans alike. This piece works as an excellent supplement to a Shakespeare study unit or alone as an entertaining, entertainingly cast rom-com focused on the power of friendships new and old. Readers can trust that this one will end in true delight.

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Starred review from June 1, 2025

Gr 7 Up-Friendship and longing collide in this loose and lighthearted adaptation of Shakespeare's comedy As You Like It. Celia Gilbert, an expert organizer, has planned the perfect summer. She and her two best friends, Touchstone and Ros, will be strengthening their friendship before senior year by escaping to Touchstone's relative's cabin in the idyllic Californian town of Lovesick Falls. The town is known for its mythic spring that is supposed to make anyone who drinks from it fall out of love, and Celia secretly hopes that spending time near the spring will tamper down her inconvenient crush on Ros. But when Ros meets the pugilistic Jess Orlando, it is love at first sight, and Celia's desire and jealousy threaten both of her friendships. Add a theater festival and a dreamy British TV star to the mix and Celia's perfect summer is not going to plan. Drake's novel captures the heartbreak of unrequited love and avoids easy solutions as the characters navigate complex relationships and ultimately learn the importance of nurturing their friendships. Main characters are white; Ros has olive skin. VERDICT An original and entertaining adaptation with heart. Teens who are looking for realism and humor in their queer romance will be hooked.-Emily Yates

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