Publishers Weekly
09/25/2023
Everyone in Philly knows about the legendary rivalry between cheesesteak food trucks Plazas Steaks and Ortiz Steaks. Recent high school graduates Jordan Plazas and Cindy Ortiz stir the pot by trading creative insults that amass huge crowds, whose videos of the feud go viral. What customers and spectators don’t realize is that it’s all an act, and that Jordan and Cindy have been secretly dating for years. But while Jordan can’t wait to buy his own food truck and set off across the country with Cindy, she’d rather attend college to study the television industry. When their families are approached to film a reality show about their rivalry, Cindy and Jordan face added pressure to keep their relationship under wraps, especially once they’re lined up to compete at the Truck Off! food truck fair. As the competition mounts, real grievances boil over and things spiral out of control. This energetic rom-com by Smith (You Can Go Your Own Way) offers Philadelphia atmosphere and culinary enthusiasm aplenty. The complex dynamic between the protagonists and their families further stokes the narrative fires, resulting in a savory, if sometimes frenetic, tale of love, laughter, family, and good food. Characters read as Latinx. Ages 13–up. Agent: Jennifer Azantian, Azantian Literary. (Nov.)
From the Publisher
"Joyful, thoughtful, and real. A treat of a book!" —Christina Lauren, New York Times bestselling authors of The Unhoneymooners
"With or Without You is rom-com perfection. The stakes are high. The romance is steamier than a food truck in the middle of summer. And the story will have you asking 'who’s cutting onions?' Youse gotta read this one." —Rachael Lippincott, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Five Feet Apart
"With or Without You is as warm, filling, and comforting as a Philly cheesesteak sandwich. The adorable fake rivalry romance and fun reality show premise will keep you turning the pages. I couldn't put it down! Warning: do not read this hungry." —Gloria Chao, author of When You Wish Upon a Lantern and Rent a Boyfriend
Praise for You Can Go Your Own Way
"You Can Go Your Own Way is both a sweetly charming love story and a moving exploration of navigating your way through grief. It’s a tricky balance, but Eric Smith’s writing deftly finds its way straight to the emotional core of his characters and leaves the reader with a lasting sense of hope."—Nicola Yoon, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Everything, Everything and The Sun Is Also a Star
"Eric Smith’s You Can Go Your Own Way is a big-hearted charmer of a book! Brimming with wintry coziness, heady nostalgia, and wholly loveable characters, this is a story that’s as much about finding yourself as it is about finding love. The perfect novel to snuggle up with."—Emily Henry, New York Times bestselling author of Beach Read
"If Fleetwood Mac's Rumours and 10 Things I Hate About You had a baby, you'd get You Can Go Your Own Way, the nerdy, pinball-filled, snowed-in-and-there's-only-one-blanket rom-com of my dreams."—Sam Maggs, author of The Unstoppable Wasp: Built on Hope.
"Eric Smith’s You Can Go Your Own Way is a love letter to Philly and pinball machines. It examines grief and the cost of hanging on as Adam Stillwater grapples with the loss of his father and his complicated crush on childhood ex-friend, Whitney. If you love second chances and the hate-to-love trope, you’ll adore this book."—Roselle Lim, author of Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune
"You Can Go Your Own Way hits like the perfect mug of hot cocoa: it’s warm and sweet and leaves you wanting second helpings. Someone please lock Eric Smith in a room and don’t let him out until he’s written ten more rom coms. I want them all!"—Lauren Morrill, author of It's Kind of a Cheesy Love Story
"A bighearted, moving, delightfully quirky story about the ways that life can be surprising, and the people you thought you knew more surprising still. A warm hug of a book."—Kelly Loy Gilbert, author of Picture Us In the Light
Praise for Don't Read the Comments
"Wonderfully geeky and deeply compassionate, Don't Read the Comments is a heartwarming tale of finding your community and following your dreams."—Marieke Nijkamp, #1 New York Times bestselling author of This Is Where it Ends
"Don't Read the Comments is a modern-to-the-minute adventure about rising above expectations of family, class, and social media, to find your true destiny and grab it by the controller."—Whitney Gardner, award-winning author of You're Welcome, Universe
"Don't Read the Comments has so much heart: the kind that makes you fall in love, and the kind that makes your breath short. If you're not already a gamer, you might be after this book. And if you need a little hope, Eric Smith delivers the sunshine."—Olivia A. Cole, author of A Conspiracy of Stars
New York Times bestselling authors Christina Lauren
Joyful, thoughtful, and real.”
#1 New York Times bestselling author Rachael Lippincott
Rom-com perfection.”
Kirkus Reviews
2023-09-09
Jordan and Cindy hate each other—or do they?
Seemingly caught in the throes of a long-standing family feud, Jordan Plazas and Cindy Ortiz do their best to keep up appearances in public, often hurling insults at each other across a park where their respective families have rival Philly cheesesteak food trucks. The truth, however, is weirder than that. Because the conflict attracts good business, the pair of Latinx teens must keep their romance a secret. With high school now over, Jordan and Cindy plan on leaving their alleged feud behind in pursuit of dreams of their own. But those plans get derailed when a producer offers to turn their family squabbles into a reality TV show pilot. Truthfully, both families could use the extra money, but can Jordan and Cindy’s relationship survive postponing what they truly want? Smith sets up a delightful secret lovers romance plot, but unfortunately one never quite believes that the young lovers are actually in love. The story, told in their alternating perspectives with reality TV–style confessionals interspersed, gives readers a lot of interiority about why their relationship doesn’t work but not enough reasons to root for them as a couple. The reality show elements are initially thrown in without enough explanation, which may cause confusion. Nonetheless, the prose and subsequent pace are solid and are supported by excellent food descriptions.
Stay for the cheesesteak but not the love story. (Romance. 13-18)
