Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 11/01/2021 Tahira, 17, has known she wants to be a fashion designer since she was a child, and her parents helped her to develop the Plan, to which she adheres strictly. When a rogue parakeet ruins her hopes for a summer internship with a fashion designer, Tahira reluctantly leaves Toronto for small-town Bakewell to help her mother's cousin with her clothing store. After making a terrible impression on Rowan, a young man who works at a garden center, Tahira is mortified to learn that he and his family live next door. As the summer progresses, however, Tahira starts to share Rowan's appreciation for flowers as they prepare to enter the Bloom, a flower sculpture competition. When Tahira is faced with a choice between the Bloom and her personal ambitions, she makes some surprising discoveries about herself. Tahira is extremely focused and driven, which plays nicely against the equally driven Rowan, and their relationship simmers. With well-rounded supporting characters and a polished narrative, this is a natural choice for Sarah Dessen and Sandyha Menon fans. - Copyright 2021 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 02/01/2022 Gr 9 Up—A fresh YA novel that includes a ton of representation, friendship, romance, determination, and a whole lot of coming-of-age. Tahira is 17 and living in Toronto. Her dedication to her blooming fashion career is only second to her parents' desire to see her succeed and get into FIT in New York City. After a fluke accident, her summer internship is canceled and she opts to work at her aunt's shop a few hours outside of Toronto in small-town Canada for the summer. The town, Bakewell, is obsessed with flowers, which is definitely not Tahira's aesthetic—but is it the next trend? Filled with current teen slang, Instagram posts, awkward relationships, broken friendships, and a lot of growth all summer, the novel follows Tahira as she comes to realize what matters most isn't the branding and networking opportunities, but the art behind her passion—or the passion behind her art. Indian Canadian, BIPOC, and LGBTQIA+ representation is seamlessly woven into this coming-of-age story that has authentic and realistic experiences captured in an age appropriate manner. VERDICT A great addition to all high school shelves.—Samantha Hull - Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.