Anita Kelly’s YA debut, Donut Summer, has murdered me with adorable and relatable. It is funny and sweet, and deals with some serious topics in ways that feel realistic and manageable. Penny Dexter is ready to be a little bit different this summer, working at Delicious Donuts instead of an environmental science internship, and Mateo della Penna is going to screw it all up for her by working at Delicious Donuts too. The two have a history of not being friends, but Penny has cataloged their smiles.
When Penny finds out a chain has offered to buy the donut shop, she enlists Mateo’s help in saving the business, which they give in exchange for help learning to drive a stick shift. Penny has a lot on her plate, as does Mateo, whose father rejects their gender fluidity. The two build a friendship and start dating while they figure out how to be the people they want to be. Jumping from familial expectations, to friendships, to sex and identity, to the scary possibilities of the future, Penny’s brain is a busy place, but for me, very comfortable.
Anita Kelly perfectly captures that period in life when the stakes are high, but the adults, for better or worse, are still in charge. Penny feels the weight of the world, climate change, the scourge of billionaires, the economic health of her town, the health and finances of her family, and also the joy of kissing your person and finding a safe harbor in a hug.
I wish I had had books that portrayed anxiety so clearly when I was a teen in the last century. The portrayals I had of teen mental health were generally ham handed and either extreme, or solved in 22 minutes. Like Penny, I was walking around with a lot of anxiety noise in my head, overthinking everything, and jumping at the chance to be parentified so that I could feel like I had control over something. Unlike Penny, I didn’t have the language to talk about my mental health and I didn’t start learning healthy coping mechanisms until I was in my 30s. So, I am grateful that kids now have books that have good representation of mental health issues. I am grateful that there are books that normalize queer gender identities and sexuality.
As an adult, I love that the adults in Donut Summer are important, but not centered. Penny’s moms and her boss are imperfect but supportive, both overly relying on her, and also giving her the freedom to explore. They all come through for her when she needs them the most, even if it isn’t always in the way she wants them to. Mateo’s father, in contrast, is trying to force his kid into a mold he understands, instead of trying to understand the kid he has.
I received this as an advance reader copy from Quill Tree Books and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.