Heidi Hauser Green (Children's Literature)
Jason is a popular basketball star and center of the most popular crowd at Cross High School. Kyra is a smart girl focused on a prestigious science competition who does not pay attention to the high school cliques. What do these two have in common? Not much, until they are paired for a research project in their English AP class. They develop a mutual respect, which leads to friendship, and eventually to romance. Soon Kyra finds herself having more fun than she has ever had before, and Jason finds himself sharing confidences that he has never told anyone else. But the road of young love is rarely easy. Can their growing attraction withstand the skepticism and challenges posed by their peers? Will Kyra and Jason be able to define the terms of their relationship together--or will the fears they must face ultimately tear them apart? Dana Davidson's first novel is a lushly detailed teen romance set in an affluent African-American suburb of Detroit. 2004, Jump at the Sun/Hyperion, $16.99. Ages 12 to 16.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, May 15, 2004 (Vol. 72, No. 10))
An improbable romance blossoms between two African-American students: Jason Vincent, basketball star and one of the most popular guys in school, and intelligent, but inexperienced Kyra Evans. Brought together by a class project, the two connect, finding friendship as well as romance. Unfortunately. as with all romance stories, this one is not without its obstacles. Together they must find a way past their families, their friends, and one vindictive ex-girlfriend. As they fall in love, surprising everyone, they find that they are not so different after all. The too-familiar story of polar opposites falling in love is not improved by the amateurish writing: improbable dialogue, overwritten scenes, and a forced plot are only some of the many problems. Suffering without a strong story or inspired writing, Davidson's debut misses its mark. 2004, Jump at the Sun/Hyperion, 336p, $16.99. Category: Fiction. Ages 12 up. © 2004 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Bonnie L. Raasch (Library Media Connection, August/September 2004)
Brainy Kyra is paired with Jason on a school project; they fall in love, break-up over whether to have sex, and reunite. Dialogue is erratic, changing from unrealistically formal to hip slang. Jason's attitude change toward his father is too abrupt. With both plot and character flaws, unless there is a need for another love triangle novel, skip this one. Not Recommended. 2004, Hyperion Books for Children/Disney Publishing Worldwide, 335pp., $16.99 hc. Ages 14 to 18.

Karen Coats (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, September 2004 (Vol. 58, No. 1))
Kyra Evans is none too pleased when she has to team up with jock Jason Vincent to work on an AP English project. Far from carrying him on the assignment, however, she realizes that, besides being poetry on a basketball court, he also has quite a bit of poetry in his soul. Their relationship develops slowly and carefully, despite their separately growing physical and emotional attraction to each other, because Jason has a girlfriend and Kyra can't imagine being desired by such an extremely fine and popular boy. Finally, a kiss forces a breakup for Jason and confessions for Kyra, and the two begin an almost impossibly touching romance of shared secrets (Jason's father is emotionally abusive) and mutual support (Kyra learns about basketball and Jason tries to understand Kyra's award-winning science project). Alas, the course of true love never did run smoothly; Jason's old girlfriend does not disappear gracefully, and Kyra's inexperience with relationships of the heart threatens to sabotage their idyll. Davidson's rather stiff and overly formal prose threatens this relationship almost as much, but it does have the effect of measuring what might otherwise have been entirely too syrupy sweet. Davidson lingers over minute details of feeling and conversation, changing focalizers sometimes even in mid-paragraph to make sure every nuance of each character's perspective is clear to readers. The real value of this somewhat ordinary tale of first love's bliss and angst is that it offers us characters we haven't met very often--the very wealthy, very smart, very privileged black students at a school modeled after Cass Tech in Detroit. Sure to have regional appeal, the book will also provide an alternative to those who are tired of the narrow stereotypical boxes of anger, poverty, and oppression into which black teen experience is too often placed. Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2004, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2004, Jump at the Sun/Hyperion, 330p, $16.99. Grades 7-12.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2004)
African-American teens Jason the jock and Kyra the brain realize their feelings for each other, begin dating, experience peer pressure, break up, and reunite. The book's uniqueness stems from its narrative voice. The omniscient narrator's use of slang in both dialogue and narration can be forced and stilted but at times is poetic and contemporary. Category: Older Fiction. 2004, Hyperion/Jump, 330pp, $16.99. Ages 12 to 14. Rating: 4: Recommended, with minor flaws.

KaaVonia Hinton-Johnson (VOYA, June 2004 (Vol. 27, No. 2))
Kyra Evans keeps telling herself that they are just friends. Jason Vincent, the captain of the basketball team, has a girlfriend, and Kyra is not part of the in-crowd. Worse, Kyra is a bit of a nerd, and Jason is probably just another "dumb jock." A few phone calls while working on a project could not possibly mean anything. Readers will be drawn in as this unlikely couple manages to fall in love. As the romance heats up, sexual situations increasingly become a part of this love story. But as in any romance worth reading, Jason and Kyra experience some rocky times as well. Jason seems to be still sexually involved with his ex-girlfriend Lisa--or is he? Despite the slow pace, predictable plot, and stilted dialogue--"Get the hell outta Dodge!"--first-time novelist Davidson offers a contemporary story that features likeable African American characters with goals and promising futures. Although Lisa often refers to Kyra's natural hairstyle as "nappy hair," there is no real focus on race-related social ills. For those looking for contemporary books about African American youth who are not living in poverty, on drugs, or in jail, this book will probably appeal. Students interested in science will be drawn to the book as well and will appreciate Kyra's devotion to a science project that could win her a $50,000 scholarship. No matter how many love-and-loss stories readers encounter, hopeless romantics will cheer when Kyra and Jason unite and then reunite. VOYA CODES: 3Q 2P S (Readable without serious defects; For the YA with a special interest in the subject; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2004, Jump at the Sun/Hyperion, 327p., $16.99. Ages 15 to 18.