THAT SUMMER NIGHT ON FRENCHMEN STREET

A New Orleans love story for these ages.

When 17-year-old Tennessee Rebel Williams moved to New Orleans from Oxford, Mississippi, he thought he was leaving behind the explosive fights between his often absent mom and his bigot of a father and that he might even be able to reinvent himself. His parents’ separation doesn’t stick, and his mom fails to put in any effort to care for him, but Tennessee quickly falls for Jessamine Grace Monet, a high school senior and NOLA native with her guard up and a lot to work through. Jess and her twin brother, Joel, were 5 when they lost their father and home in the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, which was followed by a series of violently traumatic events. Getting close to either sibling is understandably difficult. Tenn and Saint Olivier Baptiste, his new bestie at Magnolia Prep, stubbornly give it a shot anyway despite predictable star-crossed obstacles. Saint is flamboyant and confident, while Joel is closeted and cautious; Jess, who is Black, is reluctant to even fall in like with anyone but especially with a small-town White boy like Tenn. Socio-economic differences likewise separate them from the twins, who are far from wealthy. In this slightly overlong dual first-person narrative where the queer characters sometimes fade into the background, Tenn’s and Jess’ respective journeys are refreshingly heartfelt.

No big surprises but the familiar still elicits investment in these fun and caring characters.