When Love Gives You Lemons

Gr 10 Up–Fielder Lemon has found his place in the viral world of social media making food content on the Clock App. He has gained a decent following online, but lost what mattered to him the most—the love of his life and now ex-boyfriend, Ricky. Despite being dumped last summer, Fielder still loves Ricky and is positive that he can charm his way back into Ricky’s heart. When Fielder finds out that his older cousin Topher is engaged to Ricky’s big sister Sienna, he devises a plan to make Ricky fall in love with him against the backdrop of the sunny Amalfi Coast the week of the wedding. Unfortunately, rekindling this romance is going to be more difficult than Fielder anticipates when Ricky shows up with his new gorgeous boyfriend Cam. Sure, the escapades in Italy certainly take readers on quite a trip, but there is a simple question that sits at the heart of this story: who is Fielder Lemon? If you take away the Clock app, the hookups, and the deep-seated sorrow over losing the love of his life, what could possibly define him? This pursuit, or rather construction, of identity is universal, and Salvatore balances the heft of such an existential question with the wide-eyed wonder of a summer romance.