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From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

Teenager Phoebe Townsend writes “Circle in the Square,” an informational blog about sex, under the pen name “Pom.” Not even Phoebe’s best friend, Cora, knows unassuming Phoebe (white) is behind it. Phoebe’s goal is to provide reliable answers to readers’ sex-related questions; she’s become a skilled researcher, and the blog is proving far more useful for her peers than the requisite health education class (which avoids mentioning sex as much as possible). Now local mayoral candidate Lydia Brookhurst has decided the blog—and Pom, whom she assumes is an adult and male—are morally corrupting the youth of the community and encouraging them to have sex. Brookhurst’s wealth and influence have far reach. It’s one thing when Neil, Phoebe’s recent crush and her editor on the school paper, reverses his admiration for Pom after making some journalism connections through Brookhurst. But when Phoebe’s mom seems to be wavering—her parents’ small accounting business has a local religious group as a client—it’s a blow. There are vocal supporters of Pom, too, including Cora and high school quarterback Jorge, but when Phoebe is stripped of her anonymity and later doxed, the onslaught of attention and criticism is brutal, challenging many to think deeply about what they believe and how they behave, although change is not a given. This timely, gripping novel isn’t subtle, even as there’s more nuance than the plot alone suggests in a story that plays out in ways that are achingly, sometimes infuriatingly, believable.  (Age 14 and older)

CCBC Choices 2023 © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2023. Used with permission.

From Publisher's Weekly

October 10, 2022
Walton (Just Our Luck) delivers a sharply rendered tale featuring white high school junior Phoebe Townsend, whose sex education blog goes viral after a conservative local politician denounces it. Most of Phoebe's classmates know her as the quiet girl who writes for the school paper; no one would suspect that she, under the pseudonym Pom, also writes a sex ed blog. While she initially started the site to journal her extensive research into topics her school's health classes glossed overâ€"including masturbation and female arousalâ€"all that changes when the white president of Linda Vista, Calif.'s Citizens' Coalition for Responsible Censorship, Lydia Brookhurst, attacks Phoebe's blog on Twitter, calling it "disgusting." The confidence boon Phoebe gains from Pom's notoriety inadvertently helps boost Phoebe's popularity; she manages to line up interviews with health professionals and charm both the cute school paper editor and the star quarterback with her newfound take-charge attitude. But when Brookhurst's continued demands that the blogger "reveal" herself threaten Phoebe's anonymity, she must decide whether she's willing to walk away from her mission or risk going public. Via Phoebe's persistent and courageous voice, snippets of her Twitter and blog posts, and a wealth of useful factoids, Walton crafts an essential, sex-positive volume. Ages 14â€"up. Agent: Jodi Reamer, Writers House.

From Kirkus

October 1, 2022
A high schooler's pseudonymous blog about sex goes viral when a local conservative politician attacks it. Phoebe Townsend, 16, was surprised and intrigued at her first sight of a penis two years ago: It was nothing like she expected, and she realized she didn't know much about sex at all. She set about researching and combined her newfound knowledge with her love of journalism to create a blog that received little attention in her small town until it attracted the ire of mayoral candidate Lydia Brookhurst. Phoebe is honest about arousal, the true meaning of consent, and the limitations of her own knowledge when it comes to, for example, queer sexuality, whereas Brookhurst believes that the only permittable sex education is that which emphasizes abstinence. When Brookhurst outs her, Phoebe has to deal with threats and vandalism but stands her ground regarding the importance of her work. Already known for dealing with complex subjects with grace and honesty, Walton creates in Phoebe, best friend Cora, crush Neil, and eventual boyfriend Jorge real, imperfect characters with genuine emotions and actions. Through the medium of Phoebe's blog posts and tweets, Walton also manages to include a tremendous amount of useful information about sex. Most characters default to White; Jorge is Mexican American. Cora's identity is not specified; she's described as resembling both Jameela Jamil and Meghan Markle. Satisfying and pleasurable. (Fiction. 14-18)

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From School Library Journal

October 1, 2022

Gr 10 Up-Phoebe Townsend, 16, has a secret. She is the author of a sex education blog called The Circle in the Square, which aims to give teenagers all the facts about sex that she believes adults feel too awkward to share. When ultra-conservative mayoral candidate Lydia Brookhurst makes the blog go viral on Twitter with her call to take it down, Phoebe must balance keeping her identity a secret, providing the information she feels teens need, and the start of a new relationship. Readers learn about Phoebe's obsession with research, especially about sex, and that she is a writer, but very little else about her. Lydia Brookhurst is an extreme character whose actions mirror current political matters. Two potential love interests, Phoebe's parents, and her best friend, Cora, round out the main cast of characters. The focus on the presentation of factual sex education to teens is the overlying theme that sometimes overpowers character development. Teens will relate to Phoebe and her need for teens to feel respected when dealing with choices about their bodies. VERDICT A sex-positive read that spotlights the importance of sex education and information. Give to older YA readers who enjoy contemporary realistic fiction with a message.-Ashley Leffel

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.