delacorte romance – GoodeyReads

Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 320 pages
Author: Celeste Dador
Publisher: Delacorte Romance
Release Date: May 12th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Named one of Book Riot’s Most Anticipated Reads of 2026, Stars, Stripes & Summer Nights is a swoony debut YA romance about First Daughter Abby Cary-Alzona’s summer of self-discovery, small-town charm, and unexpected love.

All Abby wants is one normal summer before college. No headlines. No drama. Just a chance to breathe.

But when a run-in at the White House with Gabriel Calabrese—a maddeningly carefree small-town photographer—spirals into a pizza delivery scandal that makes front-page news, Abby’s plans disappear overnight. To escape the fallout, she’s sent to a charming country inn run by Gabriel’s family.

Now she’s stuck with the last person she wants to see.

As Abby and Gabriel team up to save his family’s Fourth of July festival—and tackle Abby’s secret summer bucket list—sparks begin to fly. Especially when he helps her experience all the “real” teen moments she’s missed: parties, picnics… and maybe even a first kiss.

Perfect for readers who love:
• Forced proximity
• Opposites attract
• Reluctant royalty
• Small-town charm reminiscent of Gilmore Girls

A cozy, heartfelt story that explores familial expectations and what it means to choose a life—and love—on your own terms.

Thank you Get Underlined for the gifted copy.

THIS WAS SWEET!

What a lovely debut. I really enjoyed this story. And it’s a fourth of July romance?? I’ve never read one of those and it was utterly charming. The small town charm was highlighted just right and the atmosphere was full of everything summer. This had the first love summer romance quality I had a breeze flying through.

I liked the eldest daughter FMC, Abby. She slowly works through letting things go and taking advantage of the opportunities to feel more like a teenager than the FDOTUS. It’s not heavy on political things and focused much more on the coming of age story for Abby. I loved the relationship she had with her sister.

The romance too was incredibly sweet. It’s appropriate for teens with kisses only and low (if any) language. I can easily keep this on my shelves for when my littles are older. I liked the banter between Gabriel and Abby and the communication they worked towards. There is some miscommunication but it wasn’t dragged out and felt right for the age range.

All in all, it’s filled with fireworks (literally), good parent relationships, new friendships, and summer love. Easy recommend!

Overall audience notes:

YA Contemporary Romance
Language: none
Romance: kisses
Violence: none
Content warnings: loss of a parent (recounted)

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 272 pages
Author: Kasie West
Publisher: Delacorte Romance
Release Date: January 6th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From the critically acclaimed author of Sunkissed comes a new swoony YA romance. Indy and Beau’s friendship is shattered, but getting accidentally locked in a bathroom together just might be what’s needed to reconnect.

When the walls close in, the truth comes out.

When Indy’s life came crashing down, she made a no one could know. To the world, she’s still the same Indy—cool, calm, unshaken. But behind the scenes? It’s chaos.

Her tight-knit crew—Beau, Caroline, and Ava—were once her everything. Now they’re strangers she can’t seem to reach—especially Beau. And the only person she talks to these days is Cody, a skater-boy she used to think was so not her type. Funny how everything changes when your world flips upside down.

And then, as if things couldn’t get weirder, Indy finds herself literally stuck in a school bathroom with Beau. After months of silence, and there’s no escape. If they want out, they’ll have to face the messy truth about what happened between them and find a way back to what they once had. Or maybe even more.

Thank you Get Underlined for the gifted ARC and PRH Audio for the gifted audiobook.

FABULOUS.

Oh Kasie West has done it again y’all. I feel like I’ve mostly phased out of YA contemporary romances and West is one of the few authors I will always come back to read. I love the way she makes relatable high school aged characters. As an adult, I of course, feel frustrated, but I think it’s on par for the age group which is easy for me to understand. Alongside no spice and very little language I appreciate that this fits right into the true YA category.

I would have loved just a little less time spent stuck in the bathroom. I think it did lend to some necessary conversations BUT I wanted to see Indy and Beau connect more outside of their too. I did like the flashback chapters!! Which is a hard sale usually but only added to the book here. You could feel the inevitable crash-out coming and it brought the romantic angst.

I loved seeing Indy find herself again after going through some hard things at home. I was grateful to see her work through things with her friends and reconnect with them too. All hope isn’t lost in these valleys.

Overall audience notes: