If You, Then Me by Yvonne Woon
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on July 6, 2021
ISBN: 0063008645
Pages: 416
Genres: Mystery, Romance
Goodreads

Thought the action takes place mostly in Silicon Valley CA the reader gets a peek at Xia’s upbringing in MA.  As a quiet techy she finds adjusting to the social life of high school a challenge and dreams of attending a boarding school for talented coders.  This background is needed to fully understand her adjustment when the dream is achieved.   The character of Xia is well portrayed, she feels like the girl next door who is struggling to understand how to navigate her surroundings.  As a coming-of-age story several other genres are exposed among the pages; this is a mystery and a tender romance in addition to being an expose’ on the male dominated world of technology.  Woon’s portrayal of a driven but anxious teen is heartwarming and sincere.  Readers will experience multiple emotions toward several characters ranging from affection to seething anger.  There are however periods when the text seems to lag.

Librarians will want to hand this to teen girls in grade 8-10 who enjoy coming of age stories that are different then the majority.  Add this title to public libraries where YA is collected and to middle school media centers.

Submitted by Jan Hamilton, retired youth services librarian in Scarborough, ME