A girl’s summer plans to get her crush to notice her are upended by a surprise guest in this entry in the new tween middle grade rom-com Spotlight Sprinkles series!
This is going to be the summer Julie finally catches the attention of her crush, James! She has the perfect outfits, ice-breaking jokes, and a list of places she can oh-so-casually run into him. At least that was the plan until Julie’s parents decided to surprise her by inviting a friend to their beach house for the next three weeks.
Honestly, Julie’s not even sure she would call Sophia a friend, but one thing is for having to play nice with Sophia who is always hanging around was not on the agenda. Now, Julie has no idea how this summer is going to go—especially since she’s unexpectedly feeling flutters around a new friend, Liam…and she thinks he might like her, too.
Can Julie figure out how she feels about James and Liam? Or will having Sophia around ruin everything?
A sweet middle grade romance that highlights the importance of being yourself. 3.5
What Worked: I've been meaning to pick up the Spotlight Sprinkles for a while. Meet Me at Sunset is a great lesson in true authenticity. The main character, Julie, not only exaggerates a "relationship" that she has with side character, James, but she also decides to change everything about herself to match him. It is with the help of Sophia that Julie is able to work through understanding the importance of being herself. This will be a great point of connection for the intended audience especially as some of them may start developing crushes of their own. It's important to go into any situation being your authentic self.
What Didn't Work: There are some elements that feel a little repetitive, but it's because it takes Sophia a little while to learn some things about herself and some things about James.
Overall, this was a solid tween romance. I'm definitely looking forward to reading the rest in the series so that I can recommend more to readers.
I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher for promotional purposes.
This was such a cute middle grade romance!
The book is about tween girls and their crushes which reminded me of when I was that age. I always had crushes and would obsess over them just like the main character, Julie. Having crushes at that age is so fun and the book encompasses that.
I really loved the friendship between Julie and Sophia. They weren’t super close at the start of the book so it was cute seeing them become best friends. Julie is an only child so Sophia felt like a sister to her at times. l also liked that they had their ups and downs because that’s how friendship is in real life. Friends fight but ultimately make up.
The setting was also fun. The story takes place during summer break at a coastal town called Atlantic Harbor. Who doesn’t love reading about a beach vacation?
The romance was basic, but still very cute and appropriate for the age group.
My one critique is that I wish the book was a tad bit longer. I wanted the ending to be fleshed out a little more.
Overall, this was a sweet middle grade romance with a strong emphasis on friendship. If you have a tween, consider getting this one for them!
So this book is part of the Spotlight sprinkles series by Lee Heart which are standalone books for middle grade readers. I found this one after reading the other one in the series, both coming out May 6 2025, called Written in the Stars.
It’s hard not to compare the works especially because I loved Written in the Stars and gave it 5⭐️. Had I read this one first I may have liked it more than I did but I still enjoyed it and thought it was cute and fitting for the mid grade reader.
Lee Heart brings us another very appropriate romance story for a tween reader. This one didn’t have as much depth to it as the other one did but it was fitting for the audience. It really is a great depiction of first crushes and “tween love”. What I liked also is that the book is also about friendship and the ebbs and flows that one can go through.
I am thankful to have gotten a complimentary eARC from Simon and Schuster Kids through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.
My rating system for Middle Grade and children’s books
⭐️ Significant problems and would never recommend to the audience. ⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea but may have some appeal. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ an ok book which I wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend but it has some value for young readers ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! I would recommend for the age or reading level appropriate for the book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Would recommend highly, especially to school programs as a wide spread reading opportunity.
First off, I love the bright colors and cute illustration on the cover! This is the first book in the new Spotlight Sprinkles series. I found this book so nostalgic. When I was a tween, I was totally boy obsessed. My best friend and I were also into doing quizzes too. We would spend hours talking about the boys we liked. We however weren’t as lucky as Julie and Sophia were because we didn’t get to enjoy a three week beach vacation in the summer!
I think middle grade readers will enjoy these characters and story, while also learning a valuable lesson about friendship and being yourself!
Definitely a fun new middle grade series to look out for!
Eh. The romance wasn't well developed (as well as being rushed), the characters were bland, and it was WAAAY to cringy and unrealistic. So there's this girl (I actually forgot her name. The characters were VERY forgettable as well as being some of the most bland characters I've ever read about) who goes on her family's summer vacation. But UH-OH this random girl that her parents are friends with is coming with her (it's a bit odd that her parents would invite some random kid over but I'm not the author so this is okay I guess) and is going to ruin her plan to make her crush, James, to fall for her. Also, did I mention this girl plans WAYYY too much? I mean, there's a certain extent you can go to before the character gets cringy, unlikable, unrelatable (at least for me), and unrealistic. Anyway, she wants this radom boy that she thinks is hot to fall in love with her (not to mention the fact that I don't even think he knew her name, and he ended up falling for Sophia, who, btw is the random kid that got dragged along on this trip). Anyway, she slowly figures out that James is a jerk (she still loves him for like 80-100 pages after finding this out, tho) until she realizes she doesn't like him anymore. Then she falls for this guy named Liam who she also thinks is kinda cute, and by the end he likes her back even though they've literally said barely anything to each other. Some random stuff I hated about this book: 1. By the time I was, like, halfway through the book I could BARELY force myself to read it. The book was boring and the plot was cliche as heck. Also I hated reading through the MC worshipping James like he was her soulmate, despite him BARELY knowing her. 2. She plans out everything, which starts to get annoying and bland. Like, just no. I don't want an annoying character who plans out detailed diagrams on how to breath.
Bottom Line: If you want to die inside, this is a perfect read
Julie can’t wait to go back to the beach where she sees her crush every year. Not that James knows she crushes on him, even though she has told her school friends that they are boyfriend/girlfriend. But her parents have a surprise: they have invited family friend Sophia to join this year. Julie is an only child and now will have to share her room with an acquaintance who has been hearing about Julie’s crush James all school year. Sophia ends up giving Julie great advice about not trying to create elaborate plans in order to get to know James, but instead to just be herself. The girls get to explore the ocean side town on their own, which is new for Julie. They meet Hames’ friends, visit the library and whaling museum, and spend loads of time on beaches. But the whole book was about all if the big plans Julie had to get James to get her phone number, even when it was obvious that he was nit the person that she thought he was. Another book in this series, Written In The Stars, had a girl who just lived her life at camp and ended up meeting a crush, while this title had a middle schooler who seems obsessed with her crush. Going on to read Playing For Keeps next to see how that one goes. Kids at the library will love these.
Julie has a crush on James and has a Love Plan that she shares with Sophia who is staying with her and her parents at the beach. When they keep running into James, Liam and their friends, Sophia says she’ll help Julie with her plan. When Julie sees Liam talking to Sophia she wonders if Liam likes Sophia even though she has a boyfriend. When they all play volleyball, Sophia tells her James is a poor sport, and Julie realizes James isn’t who she thought he was. Julie wonders if she might like Liam after everything that’s happened. When she sees Liam and Sophia talking she wonders does Sophia like him? What happens? Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
This is a super cute middle grade summer book! It is clean, lighthearted, and age appropriate. It’s also pretty funny. As a middle school teacher, I would be able to recommend this book to my students without any hesitations. My school has a policy that we cannot have books on our classroom bookshelves that we haven’t read. Good, wholesome books are rare these days, and I’m grateful for this tasteful remake of a 2013 book. I will say that it reads like something out of the early 2000s, and it was a bit nostalgic in that regard. I’ll probably be reading the rest of the series as it’s kind of a good break from the intense thrillers that I often read or listen to. :)
Perfect MG romance. Julie has been dreaming about her crush from the beach all year long and it’s finally time to go back and put her plan into action. Her plan to find James, talk with him, and get him to like her back. Her friend Sophia comes along and tries to encourage Julie to be herself. This book includes sweet, realistic friends, a gag me crush, and a sweet theme of being yourself is always the best. The setting is of course the beach which makes it the perfect summer read.
This was a cute middle grade book. I loved following Julie in this story as she tries to get the attention of her crush, James. I think many middle graders will find the characters and story relatable and should enjoy this sweet romance story. This book is great for summer reading.
Such a cute middle grade rom-com! Perfect for young readers dipping their toes into the romance genre. The plot is well-paced and easy to follow, and while it’s clear early on who likes who, that didn’t take away from the charm. I was definitely punching the air at Julie’s denial—classic! But the ending made it all worth it!
This was an amazing book! A good romance novel, I kept telling to myself that Liam is better than James! When I finally read the last chapter where Julie finds out who James actually is I was happy saying “I WAS RIGHT!!!”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This is a perfect middle grade romance! I’m a middle school librarian and always on the lookout for appropriate romance books for my students. This series is going to be a wonderful addition to our library collection!
As a school librarian, I have been looking for appropriate rom-coms for my middle schoolers. This one is sweet with its focus on both friendship and crushes.
This was a super cute and age appropriate middle grade tween romance about how a girl’s summer plans to get her crush to notice her are turned upside down by a surprise guest. This book had great themes of friendship and reminded me of myself at that age. I really appreciated the balance between first crush and friendship in this book. Overall, I found the characters, especially Julia and Sophia to be very relatable and loved the focus on staying true to yourself.
This series is going to be such a hit in my middle school! Developmentally appropriate crush-focused, first like books that rom-com fans are going to love! The first of the series is a beach romance where Julie, with the help of her friend Sophia, work to make a boyfriend a reality. The second in the series is a camp story with Quinn who is working on dealing with losing her dad and wants to have some normal at camp, but the new normal includes a very crush worthy boy!
This is a reworked edition of Angela Darling's Lauren's Beach Crush (2013).
Julie is an only child who has an enormous crush. It's on James, a boy she's seen in Atlantic Harbor, where her family owns a summer home. She has been preparing her "Love Plan" all year so that she can finally get him to talk to her, and then see that the two are perfect together. She has a list, a flow chart, and even a scheme; Operation Cell Phone. Her plan runs into a snag when her mother invites Sophie to come with them to the beach. Sophie is quite understanding when Julie admits that she and James aren't really dating, and is on board with most of Julie's plan. It's not long after they arrive at Atlantic Harbor that they spot James, who is cuter than ever, and his friends on the beach. Sophie has recently moved from California, where she was dating a boy named Steven, but Julie thinks that it would be better if Sophie changed her crush to one of James' friends, Liam, who is very nice. Sophie doesn't exactly like that plan, but tries to humor Julie. None of Julie's plans seem to go smoothly, mainly because James is kind of a jerk, but Liam seems nice. It's three weeks filled with some babysitting, frolics on the beach, and even some vintage clothing, as Julie doesn't have any luck with James, and the girls squabble a bit over romantic machinations. Sophie's sister has told her that if she has to change her style or interests to get a boy to like her, she might not have the right guy in her sights. It takes a while for Julie to see this, but by the end of vacation, both she and Sophie have boys who are interested in them. Strengths: Plans. Schemes. Flow charts. I would have adored this when I was in middle school. This read a lot like vintage Ellen Conford romances, but with some nice advice that updates the way that tweens should be thinking about romance. Haven't we all wished to take three weeks at the sea shore in the summer at a cozy cottage? To hang out on the beach? Even the little bit of babysitting will resonate with young readers. The best part was how Julie and Sophie interact. They're friendly, but not really friends, but are so understanding of each other's moods and changes of heart. Of course they fight. But they also make up and don't hold grudges. Sophie is definitely more level headed, and tries to steer Julie towards better decisions, but Julie has that misguided laser focus that is so common among middle school students. The parents are around, but aren't intrusive, and there's plenty of opportunity for the girls to wander around on their own. This is a quick read with realistic, relatable problems that will be very popular. Weaknesses: Julie follows a relationship blog and takes some of their personality quizzes there. I'm not sure that tweens (or anyone) read blogs much anymore, but at least she isn't reading a magazine. Whatever technology is portrayed can change quickly; who knows, for example, what will happen with TikTok! (Writing this the day after it was shut down for a bit in January!) What I really think: This is similar to the Simon Spotlight Crush books that still ciruclate in my library despite the cheesy covers. I will definitely purchase the prebinds of whatever titles come out in this new Spotlight Sprinkles series for the many fans of the Scholastic WISH books.
Julie has a plan to win the love of her crush, James, but things go a little awry when her mother's friend's daughter, Sophia, joins them at the beach house. A BFF wsn't in the plan, but Julie and Sophia begin to bond and Sophia tries to help Julie with the plan, but doesn't understand it because she doesn't like James at all. It's a first love, clean romance books young tweens might enjoy. I found it to be boring as all Julie talks about is James, doesn't take some of Sohia's issues into consideration, and just does not nothing but change herself to get James's attention. For me, I wouldn't give that to a tween girl to read for the negative conotations.
Rating; g+ all the early teen romance: what IS it like to kiss a boy?! No profanity. No violence Recommend: you get - jh - romance readers, realistic fiction.
Oh, so CHEESY. But predictable in a great way. MC is a total rube, which we all weren’t one point, weren’t we? I think my a) preference to NOT read romance and b) adult reading and life experiences make this book SO CRINGE - but a 7th grade girl? Yes please.
The kids do often have behaviors that are more … mature than their age. Not inappropriately, but just … a little off somehow.