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by Marie Arnold
For fans of Never Have I Ever and To All the Boys I've Loved Before comes a hilarious and heartfelt novel about a young Haitian girl navigating high school, friendship, and crushes.
Fifteen-year-old Fancy Augustine is a Haitian American girl with simple desires. She'd like to trade in her floppy, oversize boobs for cute, perky ones. She'd love a boyfriend. And she's desperate for an invite to the biggest event of the school year: Imani Park's birthday party. When Fancy learns her BFF, Tilly, has received a coveted invite and has a secret boyfriend, she is (understandably) devastated and wholeheartedly determined to do whatever it takes to get her own happily ever after.
So what if she makes a deal with the devil (Imani) that guarantees her an invite—but only if she can bring a boyfriend? And what's so bad about letting her crush, Rahim, believe that she can create a voodoo potion for him in exchange for him posing as her boyfriend? And, yeah, maybe she's destroying her friendship with Tilly and falling hopelessly behind in her schoolwork, but Fancy knows it'll all be worth it in the end. Plus, it's not like Fancy's parents would really make good on their threats of sending her back to Haiti...right?
"Fancy is flawed, self-aware, and charming, and her open and direct nature and often-humorous delivery are appealing. This novel also thoughtfully explores themes of friendship, romance, identity, and body image.… A refreshingly vulnerable and candid protagonist." ―Kirkus Reviews
"Arnold addresses racial stereotyping, parental expectations, grief, and other heavy issues with a light hand… a good choice for reluctant readers and those who enjoy pop culture." ―School Library Journal
"From the snowballing lies, endearing adult confidante, hilarious tone, and obsessive crushing, this story has Never Have I Ever written all over it…. sure to keep readers laughing." ―Booklist
This information about I Was Told There Would Be Romance was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Marie Arnold was born in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti and came to America at the age of seven. She grew up in Brooklyn, New York alongside her extended family. She attended Columbia College in Chicago, where her main focus was creative writing. As Lola StVil, she is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling indie author. Over two million readers have downloaded her Young Adult fantasy series Guardians. She currently has 3 projects under development at Disney Junior and Disney Plus, one of which is an animated show based on her middle grade novel The Year I Flew Away.
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