When I saw this advanced reader’s copy on Net Galley, I knew I had to snag it! I was already familiar with the author, Faith Erin Hicks, through some of her graphic novels, Friends With Boys and Brain Camp. Even though this one was not a graphic novel, I was excited to see her take on a modern-day Romeo & Juliet story revolving around…comic books.
Miriam lives in the small Canadian town of Sandford, a place that feels small yet familiar to Miriam. She dreams of leaving to go off to college but is afraid because all her friends will be staying behind. On top of her college worries, her best friend Raleigh is becoming more distant the more she spends with her hard-edged boyfriend. One comfort is working at the Emporium of Wonders, a book and comics shop. Not only can she save money for college, but she can also feel connected to her grandfather, the illustrator of the original TomorrowMen comic books who signed away his half of the TomorrowMen fortune to his business partner.
Weldon is new to Sandford and is living with his aunt and uncle for the summer because of his poor decisions that keep getting him suspended from school. His father, the owner of the TomorrowMen comic characters, is also busy overseeing the new TomorrowMen action movie and has no time to control his out-of-control son. Weldon, bored, finds the Emporium of Wonders and by chance meets Miriam. His interest is peaked, however, once hearing his name Miriam visibly goes cold towards him. Time and time again, the two find themselves thrown together, but can they get over generations of hostilities between the two families?
I loved just about everything about this YA novel. Miriam’s uncertainty about leaving her hometown, family, and friends to pursue her college dreams and her troubles navigating her changing friendships. Weldon’s complicated family relationships (divorced parents who both won’t take him in for the summer or find the time to stop his rebellious antics) and his public facade that many people can’t—or are unwilling—to see through. They all felt very real and applicable to students today. Then there’s the who idea of putting aside prejudices against people just because of who their family is.
Yes, it’s Romeo & Juliet, star-crossed lovers, but it also has heart and strength and vulnerability.
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