The love song of Ivy K. Harlowe

Andie has been in love with her best friend Ivy for as long as she can remember. She accepted long ago that she was destined to watch her BFF hookup with one girl after the other, safe in the knowledge that Ivy's relationships never last longer than one night. That is, until she meets Dot, who goes from a one night stand to a permanent fixture in Ivy's life, forcing Andie to ask herself how well she really knows Ivy, how she's going to fit into Ivy's future, and what those questions might mean for her own future. The Love Song of Ivy K. Harlowe is a subversive take on romance that still has great affection for swoony stories. Andie, as a romance-novel lover learning hard truths about real love in real life could read as forced, or as a kind of thesis statement on the genre, but Moskowitz sidesteps these pitfalls and creates a compelling narrative. This well-crafted novel is for romance fans and skeptics alike; both will be entertained and challenged.

Gr 10 Up--Andie, a 19-year-old working at her family's strip club in Providence, RI, has been in love with her friend Ivy for years. But charismatic, guarded Ivy has never been interested in relationships. She is in her element at Kinetic, a club where she effortlessly finds people to take home, always for just a night. But Andie is surprised when Ivy keeps spending time with Dot, a high schooler with a passion for makeup, after their night together. Having always imagined Ivy settling down with her, Andie struggles to reimagine her love story without Ivy in it. Moskowitz's novel begins like a boisterous romance focusing on Andie's experiences in Providence's queer scene, but becomes an exploration of substance abuse and recovery after trauma. Readers may grow weary of Andie's fixation on Ivy, but the book's strength is in its exploration of what it means to be in a healthy relationship. Andie is of Italian heritage and Dot is Vietnamese American. VERDICT Older teens will appreciate a look at life after high school and a protagonist who is still discovering what she wants from her future.--Emily Yates, Green Hope H.S., Cary, NC

A lesbian teen has to learn the hard way that an expected happily-ever-after ending may not come to pass in this coming-of-age novel. Teenage Andie has always loved Ivy Harlowe. The two have been best friends for years, and even though Ivy, who's also gay, never showed any romantic interest in her, Andie just assumed they would someday end up together--that if she just waited long enough, Ivy would realize that she'd always been there for her. That's how it works in the romance novels she reads, anyway. One night, when the girls are at their usual club, Ivy hooks up with a bisexual stranger, which isn't unusual. But then that stranger, Dot, starts hanging around--visiting Ivy, coming by for dinner. Andie knows how Ivy works, and she never lets a one-night stand hang around for additional nights. If that wasn't enough for Andie to deal with, the strip club that her family owns may have to shut down, and Elizabeth, a gorgeous older woman, starts to show some unexpected interest in her. For the first time, Andie has no idea what might lie in her future--and she's unsure how to handle it. Moskowitz's novel is an unusual love story in that it's more about loving oneself than another person. The brisk book features a diverse cast of various ethnicities, sexual orientations, and living arrangements; Andie's friends Melody and Diana are together and in love and also in an open relationship. Ivy could very easily have come across as a villain in a story like this, as she doesn't love Andie the way that Andie wants; however, the author does a fantastic job of making all of the major characters relatable and difficult to dislike. The book, though published by a YA imprint, definitely has more of a new-adult vibe, and the frank sexual discussion may not be suitable for younger teens. A fast-paced, offbeat LGBTQ+ love story. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.