The Romantics

by Leah Konen

Overview

Perfect for fans of Lauren Myracle and Rainbow Rowell, The Romantics will charm readers of all ages. Gael Brennan is about to have his heart broken when his first big relationship crumbles on the heels of his parents’ painful separation. Love intervenes with the intention of setting things right—but she doesn’t anticipate the intrusion of her dreaded nemesis: the Rebound. Love’s plans for Gael are sidetracked by Cara, Gael’s hot sauce–wielding “dream girl.” And the more Love meddles, the further Gael drifts from the one girl who can help him mend his heart. Soon, Love starts breaking all her own rules—and in order to set Gael’s fate back on course, she has to make some tough decisions about what it means to truly care.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419727504
Publisher:	Amulet Paperbacks
Publication date:	10/17/2017
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

Leah Konen grew up in a small farming town in Washington before moving to North Carolina. After studying journalism at the University of North Carolina, she headed to New York City to pursue her dream of becoming a writer. When she’s not writing, she enjoys biking around Brooklyn and binge-watching television. She is also the author of The Last Time We Were Us. Find out more at leahkonen.com

Editorial Reviews

09/19/2016
Konen (The Last Time We Were Us) puts a twist on a typical teenage romantic comedy by making her narrator Love, the entity responsible for keeping everyone on track in matters of the heart. Currently, Love is attempting to put lovelorn high school senior Gael Brennan in the path of the right girl, Sammy Sutton. In a quirky narrative replete with entertaining footnotes and humor that befits a being who has seen it all (“Now let us return to Gael in his cocoon of despair”), Love provides background on Gael’s failed relationship with Anika (who hooks up with Gael’s best friend), his rebound with Cara (a serial monogamist who is clearly not the right girl), and how his parents’ relationship fell apart, all leading to a grand gesture to win Sammy’s heart (and, yes, there is an airport scene). Konen makes good use of numerous tropes of romantic comedy films, incorporating them into this light and utterly sweet read. Impressively, Konen treats her subject matter seriously while maintaining a playfulness that will keep readers engaged and rooting for Gael. Ages 13–up. Agent: Alloy Entertainment. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

Yup. That’s what teenage love feels like. From meet cutes and slow burns to heartbreak and divorce, Leah Konen takes a look at love in all its forms and gives it a voice.”

author of Let’s Get Lost and Never Always So Adi Alsaid

" This playful, entertaining take on love by Leah Konen (The Last Time We Were Us; The After Girls) should find plenty of ardent fans."

Shelf Awareness

"Yes, yes, love is patient, love is kind, blah, blah, but Love also happens to be delightfully saucy, and it narrates this rom-com with a tongue-in-cheek wit that still holds all the warmth and affection you’d expect from, well, Love."

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Altogether practical, clever, yet hopelessly romantic, this book will make you question whether many of life’s small, seemingly insignificant moments might in fact have one very important, very wonderful purpose.

author of Dreamology Lucy Keating

"A smart, snappy look at romance tropes and a feel-good love story all in one."

Booklist

The Romantics is practically perfect in every way, just like love—and Love. My heart is bursting at the seams.

New York Times bestselling author of TTYL and The Lauren Myracle

"This book is fresh and an amazingly funny look at romance when it is least expected, and Love is one of the best book narrators of all time. This one is not to be missed."

VOYA

Yup. That’s what teenage love feels like. From meet cutes and slow burns to heartbreak and divorce, Leah Konen takes a look at love in all its forms and gives it a voice.”

author of Let’s Get Lost and Never Always So Adi Alsaid

"A smart, snappy look at romance tropes and a feel-good love story all in one."

Booklist

10/01/2016
Gr 8 Up—Gael Brennan is a 17-year-old high school senior in Chapel Hill, NC. He plays the sax in marching band, loves Alfred Hitchcock and Wes Anderson films, and is a smart, well-behaved kid. So why do bad things keep happening to him? The summer before his senior year, his parents separate. Almost two months into the school year, his girlfriend breaks up with him (in a horrible way). This novel follows Gael (a romantic at heart) and his quest to find love as he lives through this trying time. Or, more aptly, this is Love's quest to lead Gael into brighter times ahead. Konen cleverly personifies Love as a lighthearted and empathetic narrator. The remaining characters—Gael, his friends, his sister, and his parents—are all perfectly imperfect, creating relatable and enjoyable scenes in this slice-of-life novel. VERDICT A jaunty, entertaining work that will reach a broad range of readers, with a feel-good cast of characters teens can root for. A general purchase for most YA collections.—Stephanie DeVincentis, Downers Grove North High School, IL

School Library Journal

2016-08-17
Little does Gael know, as he stumbles into and out of romance, that here and there his life is being tweaked by Love.Delivering exactly as promised, there is not one bit of irony or shame in the book’s title or tagline, “a rom-com about love.” Narrator and semidirector of the heart Love disavows any role in great stories throughout history—Romeo and Juliet, Bella and Edward, etc.—telling readers, "humans make a lot of mistakes. I don't." Love's now focused on 18-year-old, white Gael. Love wants to make amends for slacking on Gael’s family by not being attentive enough to give some good love nudges that might have prevented his parents’ divorce. His devastation over his parents’ split propels Gael into falling too hard and too fast for the wrong girl, who breaks his heart by cheating on him with his best friend. Bitter and grieved but ever the romantic, Gael rebounds toward the next wrong girl. Eventually, with a little help from Love, Gael discovers the young woman who affirms the truth that “real love makes you better then you ever knew you could be.” It’s then that the rom-com madcap-ery really commences as Gael gets downright silly in order to reach his lady before it’s too late. Love delivers this sweet little bonbon of a story in a voice that’s always chipper, sometimes funny, and pretty darn smart. For romantics and skeptics alike, this fresh dose of optimism will warm the cockles of the heart. (Romance. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews