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Ros will do whatever it takes to get the guy. At least… she thinks she will.
Sixteen-year-old Ros is a go-getter. When she wants something, she makes sure she gets it.
But a lingering rumor (and maybe some ambivalence about her half-Turkish heritage) has kept Ros from achieving the kind of reputation she deserves. So, after years of plotting her big comeback, she just needs one thing: a hot, adoring guy on her arm at junior year homecoming. And when she meets charming new classmate Aydın at the Pine Bay resort over the summer, she thinks she's found The One.
It doesn't work, though. And things get messy when Ros's plan ends up hurting the only friend she has left... poor, sweet, forgiving Eleanor. This has happened before—things tend to get messy with Ros around—and it's getting harder for her to ignore the pattern of hurt feelings. Plus, it seems like Ros and Aydın aren't really meant to be. What kind of a plan results in everyone ending up unhappy? Not a very good one.
A not-quite rom com starring a bold, outspoken antiheroine, this Turkish-American Romeo and Juliet remix is refreshingly snarky. Witty, whip-smart dialogue plays with the complexities of multicultural identity and female friendships, from Ros's very first screw-up to her unconventional happy ending. Perfect for fans of Crystal Maldonado and Michelle Quach.
"An engaging story with a rightfully complex protagonist." —Kirkus Reviews
"Debut author Brittan gives Ros a satisfying character arc that's influenced by her desire to fit in and her struggles reconciling with her Scottish and Turkish ancestry as someone living in a majority-white town. Compassionate text highlights character flaws while encouraging growth and deftly tackles issues surrounding islamophobia and self-esteem." —Publishers Weekly
"Fierce, funny, and utterly absorbing! Ros Demir is Not the One embraces the messy interplay of culture, identity, and our search for belonging. From her reckless choices around friendship and love to her complicated feelings about her Turkish American heritage, Ros is refreshingly flawed—and deeply human. A witty page-turner that breaks with tradition, Brittan's debut shines with a special kind of light." —Anuradha D. Rajurkar, award-winning author of American Betiya
"The sun-soaked Romeo and Juliet retelling you never knew you needed! Brittan's debut is a story about self-acceptance and owning up to your mistakes, all while keeping life a little messy. You don't want to miss this!" —Anthony Nerada, author of Indie Next pick Skater Boy
"An exciting debut that packs a lot of heart. Ros Demir is the ultimate go getter—readers will love her intense machinations and the brutal honesty of her wanting to belong." —Lilliam Rivera, Pura Belpré Honor–winning author of Never Look Back
This information about Ros Demir Is Not the One 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.
Leyla Brittan is a Turkish-American writer. She holds a bachelor's degree in English with a secondary concentration in computer science from Harvard University, and an MFA from the University of Wyoming. Leyla is also a graduate of the Tin House YA Novel Workshop, and her short fiction has recently appeared in The Harvard Advocate, 5x5, and Pigeon Pages. Originally from Westchester, she's worked as an outdoor sports journalist and travel writer, as well as in film and television.
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