Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

When Florie has the chance to meet her favorite true crime podcasters with her best friend Kacey, she’s determined not to let her OCD or her controlling mom get in the way. But there’s still one problem: Kacey’s brother, Sam, will be driving the three of them from their hometown in Washington to San Francisco—and Florie still hasn't talked to him about that Christmas break kiss. With a pro-therapy focus, this tackles what happens when the ones who are trying to help just make it worse and what can happen when you trust and let go even in the face of anxiety-driven disorders like OCD. In the thoughtful but not-too-heavy narrative, Coombs (Between You, Me, and the Honeybees, 2021) weaves a charming romantic story into Florie’s journey with her mental illness, which comes at a crucial time in her life: the summer after high-school graduation. True crime fans will enjoy references to real-life cases and popular podcasts while readers who love Elise Bryant will appreciate the love story.

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Reticent Florie and spontaneous Kacey, BFFs and recent high school grads, are spending their last weeks of summer together. Kacey will leave their small Washington town to attend art school; Florie has OCD and will take a gap year to prepare for the challenges of college. When the girls win tickets to a broadcast and meet-and-greet in San Francisco with the hosts of their favorite podcast, Murder Me Later, Sam, Kacey’s older brother, offers to drive them. They calculate that they can make it there and back before any of their parents realize they are not actually staying at a Bainbridge Island beach house as originally planned. Florie sees this as her opportunity to show her independence and the emotional growth she’s made in therapy. Complicating matters, serial dater Sam kissed Florie at a winter holiday party; she thought her mental health issues precluded a romantic relationship, but empathetic Sam listens as she speaks honestly about her OCD and is not scared away. The fact that she’s hidden her feelings for Sam causes conflict with Kacey, however. And then Florie’s overprotective mother shows up in San Francisco to drag her home, a conflict that ultimately leads to growth. Florie’s first-person narration is realistic and straightforward, with touches of humor, frank language, and romance. The girls create a bucket list for the road trip that reappears throughout with funny annotations. All major characters present White. A winning story about growing up and spreading your wings. (Fiction. 14-18) Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Publishers Weekly
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At her mother and school counselor’s urging, 18-year-old white Florie is “putting college on hold until things—aka my OCD—were more settled and under control.” But she’s starting to regret that decision, especially as her white best friend Kacey, also 18, prepares to leave their “middle-of-nowhere” Washington town for art school in Portland, Ore. Then Kacey wins tickets to meet their favorite podcast hosts and, as a last hurrah, the pair hatch a plan to attend the podcast’s live taping 800 miles away in San Francisco. After being homeschooled for the past year and a half, Florie’s ready to take her therapist’s advice and “befriend the unknown.” The only problem is their ride: Kacey’s older brother Sam—Florie’s crush—whom Florie has avoided since a disastrous kiss eight months prior. Chapter openers featuring the current date and location detail the trio’s road trip. Though the outcome feels familiar, Coombs (Keep My Heart in San Francisco) captures with compassion Florie’s dramatic and humorous first experiences—such as overcoming her fear of driving, and falling in love with a boy who understands her—in this lively romance. Ages 14–up. Agent: Melanie Figueroa, Root Literary. (June)