Little Miss Red »

Robin Palmer worked in TV and movie production before she decided to give the writing thing a try. Since then, she's written everything from screenplays to essays to novels to a preschool guide. She currently lives in New York City.

Sophie Greene gets good grades, does the right thing, and has a boyfriend that her parents— and her younger brother—just love. (Too bad she doesn't love him.) Sophie dreams of being more like Devon Deveraux, star of her favorite romance novels, but, in reality, Sophie isn't even daring enough to change her nail polish. All of that changes when Sophie goes to Florida to visit her grandma Roz, and she finds herself seated next to a wolfishly goodlooking guy on the plane. The two hit it off, and before she knows it, Sophie's living on the edge. But is the drama all it's cracked up to be?

Publishers Weekly

Sophie is obsessed with the Devon Devoreaux romance series, imagining herself as the heroine in such novels as Lassoed by Lust and Battered by Betrayal, in which Devon meets millionaire playboys or dates South American dictators. Sophie’s real-life love life pales in comparison, as she’s stuck in a listless relationship with her boyfriend, Michael. But after Michael “push[es] the pause button” on their relationship, Sophie, on a flight to Florida, meets Jack, a boy who seems ripped from the pages of her beloved romances (“Not only was he the hottest guy I had ever seen in person, but as I stood up to let him get to his seat, our arms touched and I immediately knew we were soul mates”). Unfortunately, both of Palmer’s (Geek Charming) romantic leads are rather unlikable, with Sophie portrayed as awkward and naïve and Jack as clueless and cheesy. The humor tends toward the corny, and Sophie’s character can be summed up through her observation: “There was only so much a girl could focus on when a hot guy was holding her hand and scrambling her brain.” Ages 12–up. (Feb.)