Stage Kissed

From Goodreads:

"Sixteen-year-old Kate knows how to juggle. From basketball practices to her shifts at Jamba Juice, Kate flies through her days wondering if she got a decent meal. When she lands a role in the school play, adding yet another task to her already full schedule, Kate starts fumbling through her routine, resorting to desperate measures to get the grades expected of her.

Co-worker and classmate Seth isn’t much of a juggler. Crowds and attention? Not his thing. So witnessing Kate’s ability to handle it all leaves Seth in awe. He could never do it. But then one of the leading actors in the play gets tonsillitis days before opening night, and Kate volunteers Seth to replace him. With his eidetic memory and killer dance moves, Seth’s the obvious choice—if it weren’t for his social anxiety.

With Seth’s growing—and unwanted—popularity and Kate spreading herself too thin, they start to wonder if their friendship will even last through the performances. But putting these two into a romance on stage has an effect neither of them could predict."

***
This was such a charming and wonderful book. TOTALLY worth the sleep I sacrificed for it. I loved Kate's bluntness and fresh voice. I saw the effect of her flaws, but she made realizations and determined to fix them on her own. SO. SPLENDID. She didn't have anyone beating her over the head to make better life choices, which was very in line with her character.

Seth was a fantastic character--he didn't need to change, but got out of his comfort zone nonetheless for Kate. I loved the balance of his highly analytical side with his ability to laugh with Kate and finding ways to teach her.

The relationship built slowly and was beautifully done--the groundwork was laid subtly and well. Kate and Seth complement each other and don't try to change each other--they work with the other person's limitations instead of against them.

This was a really, REALLY well-written story. I read it in one sitting because I loved the characters so much. I highly recommend it.

Gentle Reader Alert: A few PG-level swears.