Ellie Conti finds comfort and joy in her movie and TV show review blog, especially after failed efforts to keep a job or join a club. She's happy to try new things based on the movies and shows she watches, even if she sometimes wishes she had a friend to do them with.

She plans for a low-key holiday season until her older sister, Bianca, asks for help. Bianca works for a celebrity manager and requests Ellie's help in keeping an eye on a client named Robin Darcy, a teen actress. Ellie agrees to help so Bianca can gain her boss's approval and so Ellie can promote her blog. Robin participates in the town's holiday activities to fix her negative public image following a holiday-related incident.

Mishaps ensue such as a holiday cookie fight despite trying to keep Robin out of trouble. It doesn't help that Robin makes her displeasure known about having to improve her image and being chaperoned by someone close to her age. But through hot chocolate and honest talks, they form a bond that motivates them to leave their comfort zones and learn to let people in.

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About the Author

Samantha Picaro is the author of LIMITLESS ROADS CAFE and RECIPE FOR CONFIDENCE. When not writing or at her non-writing job, you can find her trying new coffee flavors, reading (of course), and volunteering for various causes. She lives in New Jersey.

Connect with Samantha at: www.samanthapicarowrites.com

Genre: YA Contemporary

Release Date: May 15, 2023

Blurb:

Kinsey Fontana relies on lists to navigate the world as an autistic teen. #Goals list: win her dream event planning internship (she knows it’s an ironic dream); master the art of masking; and gain Mom’s approval. Instead, she works at a café hiring teens with disabilities. Although she loves the café and discounted macchiatos, she dreams of more than planning open mic nights.

She has an opportunity to shine by throwing a fundraiser to save the café. The catch: allow her ex-best friend Melissa Castillo to be her assistant and pretend they are friends again so Melissa’s parents respect her.

To-do list: plan the fundraiser with zero fundraising experience; work with the intimidating hotel planner who rejected her for the internship; and use every masking technique to charm rather than repel people from sponsors to a boy band. Although she needs unhealthy amounts of caffeine to handle autistic burnout, Kinsey reconsiders her #Goals list and realizes self-doubt belongs down the drain like incorrect orders.

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About the Author

Samantha Picaro is the author of LIMITLESS ROADS CAFE. Her identity as #ActuallyAutistic informs her writing, where the heroines are determined, and comedy is balanced with drama. She has a B.A. in Psychology and a Master's in Social Work, and she has put those degrees to use in the nonprofit sector. When not writing or at her non-writing job, you can find her trying new coffee flavors, reading (of course), and volunteering for various causes. She lives in New Jersey.

Connect:

Website: www.samanthapicarowrites.com

Instagram: @author.samantha.picaro

Facebook: Author Samantha Picaro

TikTok: @authorsamanthap