Booklist Reviews 2020 December #2

When Greek American Leo is sent by his aloof father to self-defense class, his anxiety and gentle demeanor divert him instead into the neighboring hot-yoga class. There, he chronicles his junior year in a journal, through which he shares his struggles with anxiety and isolation—due in part to his mother's and grandmother's deaths. As Leo improves through yoga, he connects with also-Greek Evey, whose great-great-grandmother cursed his great-great-grandfather. Initially cold and calculating, she blackmails artistic Leo into helping her exact revenge on the ex-boyfriend who humiliated her, but as the stakes rise, the two teens are drawn into a love of their own. Despite the trappings of a teen romance and high-school drama, Walton's (Words on Bathroom Walls, 2017) personal story focuses on the internal life of Leo, whose voice and character prove to be completely endearing. The epistolary form demands some suspension of disbelief, but readers won't mind, as it offers a quick pace and easy access into this character-driven exploration of mental health through friendship, family, and art. Grades 8-11. Copyright 2020 Booklist Reviews.