by Lakita Wilson; Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House, 2023
Lakita Wilson is the author of the middle grade book, Be Real Macy Weaver, and the nonfiction book, What is Black Lives Matter? “Lakita Wilson was born in Washington, DC, and was raised in Prince George’s County, Maryland. A 2017 recipient of SCBWI’s Emerging Voices Award, Lakita received her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She is currently on faculty at Prince George’s Community College in the Education Department.”—from the jacket cover.
Leila is devastated. Dev, her boyfriend of four years, breaks up with her just before graduation. Leila took a chance on love with Dev and now she feels that she has wasted her time on this relationship. Leila thinks she has no chance to find love before graduation. But Bree, Leila’s best friend, thinks Leila does. A high school tradition, the Last Chance Dance, gives students one last chance to find love before they graduate. All Leila has to do is to submit three unrequited crushes to the dance committee. If any of these crushes list Leila, they will get matched. Leila submits three names, and she is matched with all three of them! Leila has three chances to find love.
Wilson writes a delightful story about finding, giving, and receiving love. Whether two people meet through an app, or via a computer match, what happens next is up to them. Wilson makes the point that in order for the matches to work, people have to connect on several levels, not just the physical. Although Leila connects with her matches on one level, they miss the mark on other levels. Leila learns some tough lessons about love and relationships. However, Leila learns that true love, like the ending of the story, is sweet.
What works: Wilson’s characters are realistic, credible, and endearing. Most readers will identify and perhaps empathize with Leila, how she feels and what she does after the breakup. However, Leila does have some issues that she needs to handle. Bree is a good best friend to Leila. But Bree also has issues with love. Tre, Leila’s classmate, is an interesting character. He might be silly and immature but in the end, he also has some redeeming qualities.
Although the Last Chance Dance is a unique tradition, it works in this story to make a point about finding love.
What doesn’t work: I didn’t personally care for Leila’s three choices. Given Leila’s character, these matches seem unlikely for her. However, given how Leila is feeling at that time she created the list, it might be understandable.
Grab it:This is a sweet romcom. The Last Chance Dance is a unique concept that makes the point that people can at least find love. What happens next, is up to them.
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