Love times infinity

Title:

Love times infinity

Author:

Clarke, Lane, author.

ISBN:

9780759556706

Edition:

First edition.

Publication Information:

New York : Little, Brown and Company, 2022.

Physical Description:

358 pages ; 22 cm

Summary:

As high school junior Michie plans for her future and explores a new relationship, she tries to reconcile with some uncomfortable truths about her life which becomes more complicated when she is contacted by her estranged mother.

Reading Level:

Ages 12-14. Little, Brown and Company.

Grades 7-9. Little, Brown and Company.

Subject:

African Americans -- Fiction.

Mothers and daughters -- Fiction.

Friendship -- Fiction.

High schools -- Fiction.

Schools -- Fiction.

Novels.

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Item Barcode	Call Number	Status
Searching... Dorchester - St. George Main Library	Book	30018006420521	Y FIC CLA	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Dorchester - Summerville Branch	Book	30018006413393	Y FIC CLA	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Florence - Lake City Branch	Book	33172006818387	Y Clarke	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Florence - Main Library	Book	33172006818601	Y Clarke	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Florence - Olanta Branch	New Juvenile Book	33172007033010	Y Clarke	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Florence - Timmonsville Branch	Book	33172006818494	Y Clarke	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Kershaw - Bethune Library	Book	33255003757367	Y CLARKE	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Kershaw - Bookmobile	Book	33255003826378	Y CLARKE	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Kershaw - Camden Library	Book	33255003826386	Y CLARKE	Searching... Unknown
Searching... York - Rock Hill Branch	Book	33205013478579	YAFIC CLARKE	Searching... Unknown
Searching... York - York Branch	Book	33205013478637	YAFIC CLARKE	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

This heartfelt coming of age story follows Michie, a high school junior who begins to grapple with big questions of love, purpose, and family while working on something that could change her life.

High school junior Michie is struggling to define who she is for her scholarship essays, her big shot at making it into Brown as a first-generation college student. The prompts would be hard for anyone, but Michie's been estranged from her mother since she was seven and her concept of family has long felt murky.

Enter new kid and basketball superstar Derek de la Rosa. He is very cute, very talented, and very much has his eye on Michie, no matter how invisible she believes herself to be. When Michie's mother unexpectedly reaches out to make amends, and with her scholarship deadlines looming, Michie must choose whether to reopen old wounds or close the door on her past. And as she spends more time with Derek, she'll have to decide how much of her heart she is willing to share. Because while Michie may not know who she is, she's starting to realize who she wants to become, if only she can take a chance on Derek, on herself, and on her future.

Reviews (3)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 7 Up--A strong debut combining emotional stakes, supportive friend relationships, and a love story. Michie, a high school junior in Richmond, VA, is still recovering from a breakdown the previous year. She lives with anxiety, caused in large part to the shame she feels as the byproduct of her mother's sexual assault. She finds comfort in her supportive grandmother, who is raising her, as well as among others in group therapy, and her fun-loving BFF, JoJo. Michie, an unabashed nerd, is striving to get into Brown University and finds escape through her favorite novels. Enter Derek de la Rosa, new in town and very hot. He's interested in Michie in a way no boy has been, which challenges her self-hatred and insecurity. Her long-estranged mother's sudden interest in reconnecting adds yet more complexity to her life. Michie is a charming and sympathetic protagonist who is easy to root for. Derek, who has his own family issues, is fun and kind, challenging her in good ways to believe in herself. Clarke writes with a light touch that uses humor and gentleness to balance more intense psychological parts of the story. The way she weaves the love story with friendship, family, and scholastic goals comes together in a satisfying conclusion. Michie is Black, Derek is Black and Mexican American, and JoJo is mixed race with an Iranian mother. VERDICT Sure to appeal to fans of Nicola Yoon, Sarah Dessen, and Elizabeth Acevedo, this is a kindhearted, empathetic story that also happens to be utterly swoon-worthy.--Ann Foster

Publisher's Weekly Review

Black 17-year-old Michelle Cooper, who was born of sexual assault, struggles with her self-worth in the lead-up to adulthood in Clarke's emotionally layered debut. Michie wants nothing more than to study English literature at Brown University, but every college essay feels like a request to detail her life trauma; moreover, Michie isn't sure her complicated relationship with her estranged mother, therapy sessions for children of sexual abuse victims, and her panic attacks make her a prime university candidate. Then she meets 18-year-old Black and Mexican Derek de la Rosa, who moved from San Francisco to Richmond, Va., following a family death. Immediately smitten, Derek enlists Michie's help with Spanish to get closer, but her self-doubt constantly sabotages their deepening relationship. When Michie's mother reaches out for the first time since her seventh birthday, Michie must confront her self-loathing and unaddressed feelings of abandonment to forge ahead toward the future she both wants and deserves. Clarke artfully explores weighty topics such as trauma, grief, and abandonment using pensive narration, and mirthful dialogue provides levity. Michie's encouraging support systems, healthy relationship with therapy, and heart-wrenching journey toward self-acceptance depicts a story overflowing with kindness and healing. Ages 13--up. Agent: Peter Knapp, Park & Fine Literary. (July)

Kirkus Review

A Black teen born of sexual assault struggles to love herself. Richmond, Virginia, high school junior Michelle is struggling to write college admissions and scholarship essays that ask her to define herself. She can't help but fixate on the one aspect of her identity she keeps secret: At 15, her mom was raped, becoming pregnant with Michie. Despite assurances from her therapist, Grandma, best friend JoJo, and hot new basketball star Derek that she is good enough--not only worthy of love, but actually loved--Michie battles anxiety. She is convinced that if only her mom could fully embrace her, everything would be different and better. But when her mom reaches out after a decade of estrangement, Michie must decide if she is willing to see her, face her pain and fear head-on, and let go of all of the baggage from the past. Debut author Clarke delves into an intense, rarely explored subject with skill; touches of humor lighten the text. Michie's grief, self-hatred, and feelings of not being enough are presented in ways that show readers the full facets of her emotions and allow them to empathize with and relate to what she's going through. The inclusion of her mom's perspective, while short, is well written and reveals her to be not Michie's antagonist but a complicated person in her own right. JoJo has Persian ancestry, and Derek is Black and Mexican American. A compelling mix of romance and raw emotion. (Fiction. 12-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.