A teen deep-dives into her dating history to uncover her mistakes, become the perfect girlfriend, and get revenge on the wrong guy so she can ride into the sunset with the right one in this debut rom-com “brimming with heart and comedy” ( School Library Journal ). To the surprise of no one, Amelia Hernandez is once again single. It’s her family curse at work; whether it’s by heartbreak, scandal, or even accidental death, every romantic relationship that a Hernandez woman has will meet its demise eventually. And that may be fine with Amelia’s sisters, mom, and aunts, but definitely not with Amelia. In an effort to cheer her up, Amelia’s aunts and sisters develop the Hernandez Romance Boot Camp. Amelia will embark on an Ex Retrospective: tracking down her exes, finding out where she went wrong, and using that information to finally become un-break-up-able for whenever her next relationship comes along. By the end, Amelia should be free of the curse. Secretly, she also hopes her quest for self-improvement will give her the confidence to tell her loved ones she wants to take a gap year instead of working in the family café. However, when Amelia is unwillingly reunited with Leon, the ex to end all exes, she can’t resist having a little revenge on the side, too. After all, what better way to test out her new persona of perfect girlfriend traits than on the boy who broke her heart? But old loves die hard, and as Amelia’s feelings grow more complicated, she suspects that she may be in for more than she bargained for. Praise for Build a Girlfriend “Luz debuts her first YA romantic comedy, filled with plenty of hilarious moments and family drama…A powerful mantra for graduates that having a ‘family should be a gift, not an obligation.’” — Booklist “Using friendly prose and witty banter, debut author Luz emphasizes one teen’s struggle managing her mental health and personal desires while also crafting an organic portrayal of what it means to grow up in a household where ‘women are the pillar.’ At the heart of this hilarious rom-com is a large Latinx family filled with meddling aunts blasting reggaeton music and heartfelt, genuine female relationships.” — Publishers Weekly “A story brimming with heart and comedy.” — School Library Journal “Finally! The authentic teenage voice I’ve been waiting for. Elba Luz gets the awkward intricacies of young romance and family drama, allowing Amelia’s hilarious voice to shine with nonstop heart and wit. A must-read debut for fans of YA!” —Page Powars, author of The Borrow a Boyfriend Club “Funny from the very first page, Build a Girlfriend is a lighthearted coming-of-age story about self-discovery, familial love and expectations, heartbreak, and finding your way back to the person you feel your best with. Elba Luz is a talent, and this is a beautiful debut novel to be proud of.” —Riss M. Neilson, author of Deep in Providence Elba Luz is a Puerto Rican author and a lover of stories, whether in the form of anime, manga, video games, or, of course, books. Speaking of books, she should be writing her own. Instead, you’ll probably find her replaying Final Fantasy, listening to classical music, or cuddling up with her adorable pit bull, Stormy. Chapter 1 CHAPTER 1 To a stranger, the noise vibrating the foundation of the Hernandez household at five in the morning is chaos. For me, one of eight people in the five-bedroom and two-bath brick building, it’s a typical day. All aside from my sister Sofia, we Hernandez women are hardwired to rise before the sun does. Titi Sandra, the unofficial leader of the house, always says, “El camarón que se queda dormido siempre se lo lleva la corriente.” Its exact translation is “The shrimp that falls asleep is swept away by the current,” but in simpler terms, it just means, “You snooze, you lose.” I haven’t done a lot of snoozing these days. My girlfriend and I have been recreating our favorite moments from the rom-coms we watched last week. Yesterday we made cupcakes inspired by some random made-for-TV movie about a baker who falls in love with a divorce lawyer. Before that, we snuck into a park at midnight and painted our names along the slide. Today, we’re going to watch the sunrise. Depending on what music builds the earthquake under me and my sister Sofia’s carpeted bedroom, I always know which aunt is in the kitchen. Daddy Yankee thumps under my sandals as I leave Sofia in the bottom bunk to snore, which means Titi Neva woke first to smack pots and pans around. To get to our bedroom door, I hop over the 3D puzzle of colorful witches that’s sitting at the center of our carpet. It’s three hundred pieces, which would have taken me maybe an hour, but my little sister wanted us to do it together, and we’re on day three now. Marisol’s lucky that she’s five years younger than me and her puppy dog eyes still work, otherwise, I would have never allowed my puzzle record to be ruined like this. Like she hears my thou