A relentlessly sweet YA romance that’ll have you cheering for love
JJ is a brilliant junior with her eyes on the prize of cheerleading nationals. Aang is an equally brilliant boy with his eye on the prize of winning Mathletes nationals and getting into Stanford. They’ve both been knocking on the guidance counselor’s door since freshman year, hyper-aware of their goals and aspirations. What they don’t realize is that the missing piece is actually each other.
JJ is a Polish-Nigerian girl who’s successfully integrated into American culture, replete with loyal best friends and the abilities of high-flying cheerleader. Save for a tricky Polish accent she can’t seem to shake, she’s found her way to the top of the pyramid and will stop at nothing to become the lovable main character from all her favorite American movies.
But Aang isn’t so keen on dropping his Chinese culture. Actually, he’s desperate to find it in the first place. Having grown up entirely in America, he puts Hong Kong on a pedestal and takes Chinese school lessons to become more in-tune with the heritage he presents on the outside but feels is missing from his everyday life.
They used to be friends. JJ was on the Mathletes with Aang just last year, but after she broke his heart with an overheard and deeply hurtful conversation with her American friends, Aang switched up the schedule for Mathletes so that she couldn’t participate anymore. He felt he had to separate himself from her to not get hurt again.
But the guidance counselor has other ideas. If Aang really wants to get into Stanford and JJ really wants to get into an Ivy League school, they’re going to have to share their extracurriculars.
Aang, welcome to the cheerleading squad; JJ, welcome back to Mathletes.
Thus begins the tension-building, sugary-sweet reconciliation that’ll have teen readers reaching through their Kindles and paperbacks to shake the nonsense out of their heads and just kiss already! All right, we’ll start with a handhold. A hug. A touch. Anything.
But as with any good romance, author Rozalia Boma Davies throws obstacle after obstacle on their path to reconnect. From reluctant touch to nervous babbling to misguided emails, this lovable pair has to fight their way through every awkward, flirty interaction to find their way back to each other.
And when they do? They do it with full hearts—from rosy cheeks to quiet fireworks to loud ones, this romance will introduce you to one of the sweetest couples you’ll read in contemporary YA romance.
The book also does a wonderful job discussing cultural identity, making sure to include opposite sides of the spectrum: from the fight to keep an accent at bay to the desire to develop a language you were never taught. Some of the cultural identity conversation can be a bit too on-the-nose, a bit too expositional, but for teen readers trying to figure out their own identity and to understand those who look a little different from them, it’s a book that teaches you something important while it makes you smile and makes your heart flutter.
It’s both heartwarming and love-affirming; it’s both sweet and riddled with obstacles; it’s both nerdy and sporty. For cheerleaders, this thing’s got plenty of insider language on strategy and movements, on action and failure. It hits all the right beats, especially with the relentlessly flirty banter between the two. Aang picks up cheerleading with a willingness to not only win over the girl he didn’t know he was fighting for but a genuine desire to win nationals as part of the team. We aren’t given all of those trite cliches of male cheerleading either; the parents and friends are supportive. It’s a good example of positive representation for everyone.
I’ll Be a Home for You is a cheerleader’s no-brainer and a stellar pick for high schoolers feeling like they’re on the outside of their own culture. And does it hurt that it might just be the sweetest love story you’ll read this year? No—unless Aang, our seemingly dependable backspot, takes his eye off his one true prize.
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