Interesting look at COVID through YA eyes

Thank you to BookishFirst for my copy of Hello (From Here). I really enjoyed the meet cute at the beginning of this book - Max and Jonah had a clear connection, and I was excited to see where their relationship went. Unfortunately, the book didn't quite live up to the promise of the early chapters. Things got very complicated, with subplots involving another of Max's clients and an actor he worked with on a Western, Jonah's dad being stuck in Spain, Max's mom's business problems, and virtual school issues. I think the book would have been stronger if the authors had pared things down a bit - there was so much going on that it was hard to stay connected to the narrative.

I did like Max and Jonah as characters - they are flawed teenagers trying to find their way in the world, and their struggles felt real to me. The ending of the book helped pull things together, but I would only recommend this one to die-hard YA fans.