This engrossing contemporary YA novel is a sweet romance with timely commentary on influencer culture, queer identity and political activism.
At only 16, CeCe is already #internetfamous. As a social media influencer, her posts about fashion and her interracial, same-sex relationship (CeCe is white and Silvie, a fellow influencer, is Latinx) have garnered 985,000 followers. Like their fans, CeCe believes she and Silvie (#Cevie) have a perfect partnership, so she is shocked when Silvie breaks up with her. CeCe is heartbroken but she's also worried about her online future: "Every photo or video either of us posted was rooted... [in] our relationship"; without #Cevie, CeCe may "have nothing left." The teen starts spending time with an aspiring musician, Josh, who is "the first person I've ever met who was born in this century and doesn't use the app." CeCe discovers that she enjoys being known as someone other than a social media celebrity. However, things get complicated as CeCe and Josh start to fall for one another. CeCe is bisexual, but she worries how her followers will react to her dating a guy. As her online and real worlds collide, CeCe, who has spent years working "to get people to like me," has to decide whether she's brave enough to be her authentic self everywhere.
Jessica Verdi (And She Was; What You Left Behind) crafts a charming romance between CeCe and Josh while tackling serious issues like the pros and cons of social media and biphobia within the LGBTQ+ community. Verdi also considers contemporary feminism: CeCe is unwavering in her progressive political convictions yet hesitates to share them for fear of being branded "too difficult, too opinionated." Teen readers will almost certainly root for this willful, conflicted and intrepid Internet celebrity. --Alanna Felton, freelance reviewer