School Library Journal Review
Gr 8 Up--Senior year is about to begin when Lou unearths "Lou and Sam's To-Do List Before We Graduate," a six-year-old bucket list Lou created with Sam, her ex-best friend. When Sam discovers Lou found the list, he's determined they'll complete it together before the end of the school year. For Lou, this means getting close to Sam again, which has her wary given her past experience. For Sam, it's his chance to prove he can complete something, despite a recent tragedy throwing his life off course. What these two former friends don't expect is how this list will completely challenge their world and reshape their perspectives of each other. Moreno's delightful romance is a winning sophomore novel, set in the same sunny Florida town as Don't Date Rosa Santos. This warm romance showcases teens working on their mental health in an emotionally realistic way. As Lou and Sam's senior year progresses, their anxiety over the future reveals how loss and rejection are normal parts of life. And yet, despite these seemingly heavy topics, the tone of the novel remains upbeat and encouraging, as readers cheer on Lou and Sam's evolving relationship. Lou is Colombian and white; Sam is Cuban and white. VERDICT A comforting, feel-good read, with an endlessly hopeful message of being true to yourself. A definite purchase for library shelves.--Emily Walker, Lisle Lib. Dist., IL
Kirkus Review
Former best friends find their ways back to each other while completing their senior year bucket list. Luisa and Samuel live across the street from each other, and they were inseparable until the seventh grade. A middle school promposal incident caused a rift that each blamed the other for; then Lou went to Colombia for the summer before either had the chance to apologize or clear the air, and afterward they stopped hanging out with each other. Five years later, while cleaning her room, Lou finds the old list they created of things to do before high school graduation and decides to complete the tasks. When Sam finds out what she is doing, he insists that they finish it together. As they begin to repair their friendship, romance blooms, and both Sam and Lou try to reconcile these new feelings while also dealing with decisions about their futures after high school. Told in alternating viewpoints, the exploration of both grief and family relationships in Latinx communities is strongly written, and the complexities are expertly explored. Diverse representation is another strength of the book, not only in the biracial main characters--Sam is White and Cuban, Lou is White and Colombian--but also in the supporting characters, who include Afro-Cuban, Chinese American, South Asian, and Puerto Rican individuals. The friends-to-lovers story is comfortably familiar and absolutely enjoyable. A coming-of-age story with a good balance of humor and romance. (Fiction. 13-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
When Luisa Patterson and Sam Alvarez were 12 years old, they created a bucket list of all the amazing things they would accomplish before finishing high school. Fast forward to senior year, and Sam and Lou have grown apart, with Sam in band and part of the popular crowd, and Lou an introverted gamer and animal--rescue volunteer. When Lou finds the list and decides to complete it, Sam discovers her plan and, to her surprise, wants to finish it together. Chapters that alternate between Lou and Sam's perspectives provide an up-close view into the long-buried feelings they have for each other, as well as the difficulties each is dealing with, including grief and uncertainty about the future. Readers visiting Port Coral will want to extend their stay and enjoy the closeness and diversity of the town, which is brought to life by descriptions of delicious Colombian and Cuban meals and the characters' interactions in Spanish. Full of supportive and loving characters, humorous situations, heartbreaking and realistic depictions of anxiety and grief, and plenty of tension in the love department, this beautiful novel will show readers that there are many different paths our lives can take, if only we remember to appreciate every moment. YA romance fans will not want to miss this one.
