The Starburst Effect by Kelly Oram, 304 pages. Bluefields, 2022. $5.
Language: PG13 (14 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Lily (17yo) and her neighbor Noah, the star senior quarterback for their high school team, have never gotten along, simply because Noah is an arrogant jerk. Things go from bad to worse when he nicknames her Trash and it catches on, making Lily a social outcast. A football injury sends Noah into a coma and the bullying diminishes slightly, but now Noah is coming back to school – and he isn’t the same.
In all of her books, Oram depicts couples who learn to become partners in the relationship, even when one of them appears unequal at first glance – and this new book is not an exception. I love that Oram shows how both Lily and Noah need and help each other despite every assumption that Noah is less than because of what happened to him. Throughout her story, Lily and readers learn how forgiveness, communication, patience, and considering the consequences of your actions will improve all of your relationships – not just your romantic ones.
Lily, Noah, and their families are implied white. The mature content rating is for mentions of boobs, underage drinking, and some intense kissing. The violence rating is for a football injury and bullying.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen
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