In the Role of Brie Hutchens...

March 1, 2020

Gr 6-8-Eighth grade is proving to be a difficult year for Brie Hutchens as she negotiates crushes, play tryouts, friendships, parental tensions, awakening sexuality, and a need to do better on her schoolwork in her small Catholic middle school. Brie wants to be an actress like the ones she and her mother watch in the soap operas every afternoon, to land the lead role in the school play, and to attend the Theater High School next year. But her father has lost his job and works as a custodian in her school in return for tuition, and her mom has to work even more hours to help make ends meet, so that school may be out of reach. When she is caught looking at suggestive pictures of a pretty soap-opera star, Brie lies about being chosen to crown the Mary statue during the very important May Crowning Ceremony at her school. She knows that the honor will probably go to someone who excels in class-someone like the lovely Kennedy. Unlike her best friend, who crushes on every boy in class, Brie finds herself attracted to Kennedy; this causes her to wrestle with very confusing emotions, to have some tense conversations with her parents, and even to question her Catholic faith. Her struggles and those of her family seem authentic, their interactions realistic, and Brie's desire to be really seen and loved for who she is will ring true with many middle school readers. VERDICT Although not all readers will identify with the Catholic school experience, they will empathize with Brie as she strives to find herself, comes to terms with her sexuality, and navigates the social maze that is middle school.-MaryAnn Karre, Binghamton, NY

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from March 16, 2020
One of the few things 13-year-old Brie and her mother have in common is their love of soap operas, and the eighth grader can’t wait to use her extensive knowledge of their dramatics when she auditions for her New Jersey school’s play. But when her mom walks in just after she stumbles upon Playboy photos of her favorite female actor online, Brie blurts a lie to distract her: Brie will crown Mary during her Catholic school’s annual celebratory mass. In reality, that honor is usually reserved for top students such as Kennedy Bishop, a classmate on whom Brie develops a crush. Mediocre student Brie redoubles her scholarly efforts, hoping to crown Mary and prove that she’s responsible enough to try out for a performing arts high school. Brie also worries about her disassociation from her faith, which is linked in her mind to her awakening sexuality and the growing distance she feels between herself and her mother. Melleby (Hurricane Season) paints Brie as a recognizable teen: authentic in her self-centeredness and sympathetic in her attempts to embrace her identity. Brie’s anxiety over her faith, as well as how to come out to her loved ones, is wrenching and genuine in this accomplished, leisurely paced read. Ages 10–up. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.

March 1, 2020
Grades 5-8 Using her own love of soap operas, Melleby tells the story of eighth-grader Brie, whose life is getting as complicated as a daytime drama. Her father, who lost his job, works as a janitor at her Catholic school, which helps pay the tuition and embarrasses Brie. Less income means her mother has to work more, so their afternoon ritual of watching General Hospital disappears. Their drifting relationship makes it even harder for Brie to confide that the potential boyfriends her mom has teased about might, in fact, be girlfriends. Melleby starts each chapter with a snippet of a classic soap scene, though their date stamps initially confuse as to when Brie's story is set. There's some repetition in both plot lines and descriptions (Brie reddens and sweats a lot), but the story honestly conveys Brie's confusion about her sexuality, while at the same time moving plotlines to the next level by also delving into the way the family's Catholicism affects events. Younger teens questioning their sexuality?or faith?will find much to ponder here.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2020
When the novel opens, thirteen-year-old Brie's mother almost stumbles upon Brie looking at a soap opera star's Playboy photos online. Brie distracts her mom by claiming (falsely) that she's been chosen to perform an important role at the May Crowning mass, an honor for an eighth grader in her Catholic school. Brie must then attempt to earn that honor (by winning an essay contest) and hopes that by doing so, she'll come closer to the image Mom wants for her. But Brie's own personality and interests diverge from what her family expects, from her impulsivity to her less-than-strong attachment to religion to her aspiration to attend a performing arts school next year; this last also brings up financial issues in a family where her father works as the school janitor. Her parents' first hint that Brie is questioning her sexuality--more online searching, this time for "LGBTQ soap opera scenes"--comes in the novel's first half, which leaves space for varied and evolving reactions and for acknowledgment that acceptance can take time, but shouldn't take forever. Chapter openings describing events from soap operas--the one strong interest she shares with her mom--underscore how dramatic the events feel to Brie, as well as the fact that, though she's realized something new about herself, she's still the same person.

(Copyright 2020 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

March 1, 2020
When the novel opens, thirteen-year-old Brie's mother almost stumbles upon Brie looking at a soap opera star's Playboy photos online. Brie distracts her mom by claiming (falsely) that she's been chosen to perform an important role at the May Crowning mass, an honor for an eighth grader in her Catholic school. Brie must then attempt to earn that honor (by winning an essay contest) and hopes that by doing so, she'll come closer to the image Mom wants for her. But Brie's own personality and interests diverge from what her family expects, from her impulsivity to her less-than-strong attachment to religion to her aspiration to attend a performing arts school next year; this last also brings up financial issues in a family where her father works as the school janitor. Her parents' first hint that Brie is questioning her sexuality�? more online searching, this time for "LGBTQ soap opera scenes"�? comes in the novel's first half, which leaves space for varied and evolving reactions and for acknowledgment that acceptance can take time, but shouldn't take forever. Chapter openings describing events from soap operas�? the one strong interest she shares with her mom�? underscore how dramatic the events feel to Brie, as well as the fact that, though she's realized something new about herself, she's still the same person. Shoshana Flax

(Copyright 2020 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from January 15, 2020
From the author of Hurricane Season (2019) comes a story about the lengths to which people go to avoid the discomfort of change. Aspiring actor Brie, 13, loves soap operas, with their dramatic plot twists and complex webs of relationships. Brie does not love school: Her mediocre grades, "organization issues," and ambivalence about religion dismay most of the teachers at her co-ed Catholic middle school. But after her mom accidentally learns that Brie likes girls, not boys, Brie attempts to become an A student and a more devout Catholic to "keep [her] mom's focus away" from this developing discovery. The problem is that being a "good girl" is not so easy as Brie's perfect, pious classmate Kennedy makes it seem, and in trying to be like Kennedy, Brie realizes they might have more in common than she thought....Unlike the soap operas Brie devours, this is no rehashing of stale tropes. Brie's journey is not one of escape from a stifling Catholic girlhood but is a more nuanced exploration of how to reconcile faith and identity. Melleby's clear, honest voice expertly captures the frustration, awkwardness, and fear of being vulnerable--as well as the potential rewards. Brie, Kennedy, Brie's best friend, and their families appear white; Wallace, "one of three black kids in their grade," is a well-developed secondary character. This funny, tender, and heart-wrenching story will have readers calling for an encore. (Fiction. 8-13)

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