Title: Best Friends
Author: Cheryl DaVeiga
Date: May 2026 (I lost track of some review copies in the transition from Kindle to NetGalley Reader software; sorry!)
Publisher: Waterhole
ISBN: 978-1-958050-26-2
Quote: "For weeks, these messages pop up out of nowhere, always from different phone numbers I don't recognize. Always signed J."
Orion is going through the shy stage of adolescence. She doesn't even want to be a Munchkin in the school's production of The Wizard of Oz because her worst friend might make fun of her. Orion likes music and likes an older boy called Jesse who sings in a band. Could he be the one sending her the mysterious messages, which are always encouraging?
Shyness helps Orion play it cool and be friendly, rather than making a fool of herself, when she actually gets a chance to jam with Jesse and they become friends. They write a song together called "Best Friends." "I would never do anything so stalker-ish," Jesse declares when he hears about the messages. It's up to Orion and Izzy, her best friend, to find out who sent the messages.
This is a happy story with a sound track. Teenagers who like pop music should enjoy it. I could wish that Orion had learned something beyond the "just dare to be loud, be a fake extrovert who embarrasses everyone around you" message she seems to have heard somewhere. What works for her is daring to be her nice, quiet self, listening to and encouraging Jesse. She could try that with other people, too; even with parents and teachers. But kids like Orion don't always have to spell everything out. At her age, two best friends are probably enough.
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