Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.Īutumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart their mothers are still best friends. Carli, Rex, and their relatives and friends are Black Rex’s teammates are White.Ī superb, complex romance full of heart, humor, and unforgettable characters. Tamani crafts layers of complexity around falling in love, making hard choices, and dealing with loss-on and off the court-in this deeply intimate story of two talented, sensitive teens. The intensity and depth of Carli and Rex’s love story are conveyed as deftly as the high-energy play-by-plays in their basketball games. Well-written dialogue and fine attention to detail reveal Tamani’s strong insight into Gen Z life. As narrators of alternating chapters, they are funny, smart, and unflinchingly candid. Carli and Rex’s roller-coaster romance is rife with betrayal, heartbreak, grief, and family secrets. His father is distant, and inside their big, lonely house, Rex dreams of the NBA. Who should she live with after her parents’ divorce? What should she do with her future-one that won’t include basketball, which she knows will disappoint her father and teammates? Rex is a nature lover like his mother, who died giving birth to him. Carli believes in magic and looks for signs in everyday life-like Rex’s kiss-to help her make decisions. Two promising Texas basketball players navigate the ups and downs of first love.įor 11th grade star players Carli and Rex, it’s love at first sight when he blows her a kiss from the free-throw line as she watches the game on the sidelines.

Book things we never got over