Erika knows that people find her weird and off-putting. Instead of making friends, she finds solace in talking to herself and obsessing over handsome actors and pop stars. When she starts attending a new school, her loneliness takes on a life of its own and she develops a new obsession: the cutest boy in her theater class, Christian. For some reason, Christian is kind to her and even agrees to star in the play that she wrote for him, and Erika starts to find a creative voice that might lead to new friendship and romance. But the more time Erika spends with Christian, the more she wonders what he sees in a creep like her. Can Erika somehow write her way into the center of her own heartfelt love story? Or does Christian have an ending of his own in mind?
Please Be My Star is a well-written coming of age story with full-color panels that bring Erika's anxieties to life. Literally. Like, Erika's anxiety takes life as a shadowy version of herself that vocalizes all of her doubts and fears. Erika's friend group is diverse in skin color, background, and personality, bringing their own stories with them without overwhelming the main storyline. And Erika's love interest (Christian) has secrets of his own that the reader finds out along with Erika. Overall, this is a good book for teens who like Phantom of the Opera (which this story is loosely based on), high school theater, and ones looking for ways to confront their own social anxiety.
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ERB
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