Ruhlman, Michael. If You Can’t Take the Heat. Penguin, 06/2024. 320pp. Fiction. Trade $19.99. 978-0-5935-2344-5.GRADES 9–11. HIGH ADDITIONAL.
A gifted athlete, but not a gifted student, sixteen-year-old Theo’s privileged life is upended the summer before junior year, when a freak accident permanently sidelines him. His crush lands him a grunt job at a top local restaurant where Theo finds purpose, community, and a glimpse of the dark and dangerous underside of the restaurant business. Set during the early 1980s, the story comes alive in the cooking scenes, which crackle with intensity and mouth-watering detail. While it gets off to a slow start, this rare combination of straight, male-centered romance and the transformative joy of finding job-based identity may appeal to an audience underserved by teen fiction. All major characters are white. Drinking, smoking, drug use, and consensual sex, consistent with the era, are present.
Melissa McAvoy—Retired