Most Likely

January 1, 2020

Gr 7 Up-Four friends-Ava, CJ, Jordan, and Martha-who have been tight since kindergarten are entering their senior year and beginning to face the realization that they will all be going in different directions. The opening chapter establishes that one will become President of the United States, but readers don't know which one. Is it Ava, an artist who is struggling with her future choices; CJ, an earnest do-gooder; Jordan, a budding ace journalist; or Martha, a strong young woman who is facing some hurdles in life? As the novel spans a year of their experiences, a red herring is thrown in to muddy the waters as to who the future president could be. Debut author Watson creates four appealing and diverse young women; however, the narrative can seem formulaic and strives hard to check all the boxes, thus feeling like a made-for-TV movie. But this coming-of-age drama has a twist that will throw off readers as to which young woman becomes president, as all are smart and capable, and worthy of the office. Plus, the message of enduring friendships is always important for young people to read. VERDICT A fun and light read, this book will appeal to teens who like contemporary fiction. A solid purchase.-Nancy McKay, Byron Public Library, IL

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 3, 2020
In this clever mystery with romantic elements, television writer Watson keeps readers guessing as she traces the angst-filled senior year of four best friends, one of whom is destined to become president of the United States. In Cleveland, Ava Morgan, CJ Jacobson, Jordan Schafer, and Martha Custis have been a “loyal and inseparable foursome” since they met in the park before kindergarten’s start. When that park is scheduled for demolition, waylaying a senior tradition, saving the park becomes their common concern. Individual worries also plague the young women: Latinx Ava is afraid to tell her lawyer mother about her hopes for art school; white CJ’s average SAT scores might curtail her dream of attending Stanford; and Martha, a questioning white lesbian named for ancestor Martha Washington, may be stuck attending Cleveland State unless she can drum up the funds for MIT. Meanwhile, biracial (half-black, half-white) school newspaper editor Jordan, more focused on the present than the future, hides a relationship with an older man. Featuring an ethnically and socioeconomically varied cast, Watson’s well-plotted debut delicately balances humor and weighty intersectional issues. Fast-paced action and sharp-witted dialogue prove to be a winning combination, drawing out suspense all the way to the presidential reveal. Ages 12–up. Agent: Kate Schafer Testerman, kt literary.

January 1, 2020
Grades 9-12 This opens with a clever hook that will keep readers turning pages until the very end. One of four lifelong friends?budding journalist Jordon, earnest CJ, artist and adoptee Ava, and sexuality-questioning Martha?is waiting to be sworn in as president of the U.S. Her married last name is that of a high-school boy they all liked. So when the bulk of the story flashes back to their senior year, the question of just who married him and ascended to the country's highest office permeates their other trials and tribulations, of which there are many?everything from fears about a romance with a boy in a wheelchair to saving a park from demolition to finding a birth mother, and for all the girls, hopes and fears about college plans. The dialogue is snappy and the plotting is sharp, but initially the girls aren't differentiated well. Though they are of different races, this seems like an afterthought. Fortunately, the girls' personalities come into sharper focus as the book continues. A curve-ball twist adds to the considerable fun.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

Starred review from January 15, 2020
The future is female: Her name is President Diffenderfer. Best friends since kindergarten, Ava, CJ, Jordan, and Martha tackle their senior year with great aplomb in Watson's debut. When their senior rite of passage, carving one's name into the jungle gym at a local park, is threatened by a city council that wants to demolish the park, the girls rally to save the place where they became friends. This is far from their only problem: Though each is talented, they struggle this year with emotional, academic, social, and financial issues. Latinx artist Ava, who lives with depression, desires to find her birth mother and attend art school against her mother's wishes; white cross-country athlete CJ, who is self-conscious about her body, can't crack the SATs, so she strengthens her college application by volunteering with disabled children; biracial (black/white) student journalist Jordan lies about her age to interview a handsome councilman's aide, and a mutual crush develops; STEM-focused white lesbian Martha, named for her ancestor Martha Washington, worries that her family can't afford MIT. Over the course of the year, the friends weather obstacles and realize the power of their friendship. Their relationship prepares one of the girls to become president of the United States, and the twist ending will come as a surprise. The characters are superbly drawn; portrayed as whole people, the various elements of their identities are not the entirety of who they are. Inspiring and heartwarming. (Fiction. 12-16)

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