Lia and Beckett's abracadabra

Amy Noelle Parks

Book - 2022

Seventeen-year-old Lia Sawyer teams up with Beckett--one of the charming Blackwell boys, the latest generation of a rival magic family--to win a stage magic contest and out-con the bad guys.

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YOUNG ADULT FICTION/Parks Amy
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Subjects
Genres
Romance fiction
Young adult fiction
Novels
Published
New York, NY : Amulet Books 2022.
Language
English
Main Author
Amy Noelle Parks (author)
Physical Description
296 pages ; 21 cm
Audience
Ages 12 and up.
ISBN
9781419753442
9781419753459
Contents unavailable.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

When 17-year-old Lia Sawyer receives a letter from her grandmother Matilda--who has been missing for several years and was once a famous magician's assistant--inviting her to spend the summer taking part in a stage magic competition in Mirror Lake, Wis., Lia simply sees it as an opportunity to have some fun. But Matilda's invitation comes with a challenge to win, especially since the competition's prize is control of the Starlight Theater, which has been in the Sawyer family for years. Her opposition most prominently includes the Blackwell boys--manipulative mentalist Elliot and his cousin, talented but disillusioned Beckett--who are grandsons of Matilda's former husband and business partner turned rival. As Lia confronts the inherent sexism and underlying unscrupulousness of Mirror Lake's magician community, she struggles to balance her own passion for magic with her growing attraction to Beckett. Lia and Beckett's chemistry is no illusion; Parks (The Quantum Weirdness of the Almost-Kiss) deftly merges their gentle blossoming romance with the mystique of conjuring, mind games, and card tricks to deliver an intriguing look into the behind-the-scenes world of stage magic, couched in a playful romantic comedy. Characters cue as white. Ages 12--up. Agent: Elizabeth Bennett, Transatlantic Literary. (July)

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 7 Up--Given their families' contentious history, Lia and Beckett shouldn't be falling in love. Once upon a time, Lia's grandmother and Beckett's grandfather were a married magical couple--literally--working as magician and assistant, until Grandma divorced that philanderer. (No worries, Lia's grandfather was husband number two!) More recently, Beckett's cousin Eliot dated (and scammed) Lia's older sister. Of course, Lia and Beckett must meet-cute, back in Mirror Lake, WI, where magic still happens--not just that lovey-dovey kind, but also the abracadabra variety in which Lia is determined to win the summer contest and definitively prove women belong center stage. Rachel Jacobs delivers a delightful performance subtly upping the girl power, from Lia's ongoing self-empowerment to smaller yet crucial moments--Beckett's Indian mother when introduced to Lia insists, "It's Ms. Awasty, actually. I kept my name." VERDICT Balancing glee with gravitas, Jacobs ensures Parks gratifyingly fair play.

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

Two teens from rival families fall for each other during a stage-magic competition. Seventeen-year-old Lia Sawyer has just dumped her latest short-lived boyfriend when her eccentric Grandma Matilda, who has been missing, invites her and her older sister, Emma, to compete in a summerlong contest in Mirror Lake, Wisconsin, a lakefront resort town known for its magic shows and as the headquarters of the Society of American Conjurers. Her first day there, Lia has a meet-cute with Beckett Blackwell, the handsome, college-bound grandson of Henry Blackwell, a legendary local magician who's also Matilda's first husband and former stage partner. Despite their instant chemistry, the two must balance their attraction with their individual desires to win. The romance sizzles with slow-burn longing. The story also explores the sexist nature of the male-dominated magic industry that historically relegated women to being glamorously outfitted assistants in ways that will be interesting even to those unfamiliar with the culture of this community. Lia is a clever and delightful protagonist, and Beckett is a brooding and selfless love interest. The author crafts captivating descriptions of the various magic acts and ensures that even the supporting characters have fleshed-out storylines. Most characters are White; Beckett's mother is from India. An enchanting enemies-to-lovers romance. (Romance. 12-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.