Love? Maybe. - Hardcover

Heather Hepler (heatherhepler.com) lives in Tyler, Texas, with her ten-year-old son, Harrison. Together, they keep a blog about their experiments in the kitchen (but only when Heather isn't writing, of course!).

Valentine’s Day brings out the romantics and the cynics alike, and Piper Paisley definitely falls into the latter category. She hasn’t spoken to her father in two years, and her stepfather has moved on to another family, so it’s no wonder that Piper is a skeptic when it comes to love. Her two best friends believe in romance, though, and they convince her to join them in concocting a love potion, all part of “the Plan” for each of them to have dates on Valentine’s Day. With cute guys, gifts from a secret admirer, and V-Day (also Piper’s birthday) rapidly approaching, it may be tough for Piper to avoid Cupid’s arrow altogether. Despite some predictable story lines, teens will likely race through Hepler’s (The Cupcake Queen, 2009) heartwarming, sweet-as-a-candy-heart novel and enjoy not only the characters’ drama-filled love lives but also her realistic portrayal of imperfect friendships and families. The ending is satisfying, too: “Love? Maybe” turns out to be “Love? Yes!” after all. A great stepping-stone for fans of Lisa Greenwald. Grades 6-9. --Ann Kelley