Love Goes Viral

Gr 9 Up–An enjoyable modern-day romance between the new viral pop star, Love Thompson, and the boy next door, Austin Grey. Love literally falls into the arms of Austin during a stunt at a live appearance, setting the stage for a slow-burn romance. Having lost millions of followers due to a costly public mistake, Love needs to rehab her image fast. She executes a plan for a fake relationship with Austin, who remains unaware of her true intentions. The facade, however, begins to crumble when genuine feelings develop for both. The novel is trendy and perfectly captures the struggle between living a “viral” life and simply living genuinely. The timing is spot-on, and the flipping of chapter perspectives effectively tells the story and helps readers connect with the protagonists. Beloved YA themes of friendship, family, love, betrayal, and a happy ending are included. The overall lesson revolves around the modern conflict of searching for 15 minutes of fame versus thinking long-term and pursuing a lifetime of success. It is a love story about investing in oneself, paired with a meant-to-be romance. The race of the characters is not mentioned. This is Berman’s debut novel; Stochitch is a director and screenwriter; Laure is the author of This Raging Light.