A heartwarming and tender middle grade novel featuring a gay Italian American tween who tries hard to save his family's pizzeria by getting the restaurant on a reality tv show while his parents become separated, and his best friend falls for the boy he has a crush on.

A deep and emotional look at a boy who is doing his best to keep his family together while having his first crush on another boy. It's heartbreaking and uplifting. Excellent.

It deals with parentification & anxiety at its finest. The main character is so young (and cheesy but in a sweet way) and you WILL hate the parents at multiple points when reading this. It’s worth it for the ending for sure.

This was absolutely adorable! The Truth About Triangles follows 12 year old Luca Salvatore who is a pizza chef extraordinaire. The eldest child in the family, there's a lot of weight on his shoulders when it comes to pitching in with helping with his younger siblings and trying to keep his parents together. Noticing the strain on his parents' marriage and the possibility of their beloved restaurant closing, Luca decides to enter his favourite food competition show to help get things back on track. Oh, and there's also a cute new boy who is catching his attention.

This was a middle grade with a lot of heart. Luca had so much responsibility and was putting so much on himself but tried to stay upbeat throughout. He was super relatable to who I was as a 12 year old but as an adult I just wanted to hug him and tell him to live a little bit as well. His friendship with June was lovely and even though she messed up, she did have the best intentions and her heart was in the right place. There was so much love throughout this book between friends, family, idols and the food itself. I loved the sense of community and it was just such a charming and cosy read. The romance was also super sweet and age appropriate.

I loved this so much and felt so emotionally connected to the characters that when Luca's efforts were recognised towards the end and he got his happy ending I did shed a tear.

This is another winner from Michael Leali and I can't wait to see what he does next.

Not a bad read. We have strong characters, at least as far as the main kid characters are concerned. The ultimate conclusion of the plot is fairly obvious and the general direction of the story tends to stretch believability a bit. But it's pleasant enough to overcome these obstacles.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were well developed and lovable. The pacing was perfect and left you wanting to read more. I can't wait to read more by this author!

This was a really interesting story that included a lot of fun details about what it's like to help run a restaurant. The main character, Luca, struggles with anxiety and is always trying to fix everyone else's problems. I liked how he learned as the story went on that it is also important to think about what he wants and needs. He's a wonderful role model for being so concerned about others, but it's great that he learns that he isn't responsible for everyone else's actions and happiness. The book involves a friendship triangle that should be quite relatable to young readers, as well as family struggles due to his parents' marriage falling apart. Luca has a crush on a new boy at school, as well as a TV appearance when his family's pizza place is selected to be on his favorite show--along with many other great elements. I really enjoyed this one, and I highly recommend it!

This book was truly something else. I don’t read middle grade books often but Leali just has a way of writing that draws you in. I love the representation he includes in all of his books and Triangles is no different!

This is such a heartwarming middle grade story about a tween named Luca who is navigating many problems someone his age shouldn't have anything to do with. His parents are having relationship problems, he has the major responsibilities of working at his family's pizza place and helping take care of his younger twin siblings, and the regular middle school friend/relationship issues. I love that the author didn't make Luca's sexuality an issue he has to deal with and instead showcased it in a normal teenage manor where he is just worrying about embarrassing himself, not whether or not he will be accepted for who he is. It is great to read a book where LGBTQ+ students can see themselves in such a positive way. Maybe in the future we will catch up with Luca, his friends, and family to see what they are up to today?!

Luca was a sweetheart- and a hoot- and just so much fun to follow on this journey of growth and experience. Luca is dealing with a lot of anxiety-inducing things in his life, his family's pizzeria isn't doing so hot, and neither is his parent's marriage, add in making a new crush-worthy friend, sibling disasters, and the stress of working non-stop in the pizzeria, and Luca has his hands full. Maybe, just maybe, his favorite foodie pizzeria personality and their TV show can help solve some of the problems, but only if he can get everyone to stop fighting and give him and his ideas a chance.

I love everything about Luca- his heart, his creativity, and his care for others. Pretty much the only thing I didn't love was his odd interjections of Italian sayings that seemed a bit too much at times. I also love the fact that this author gave us a gay MC who is experiencing family and friendship drama that has NOTHING to do with him being gay, and that who he is is not something he has to fight for and defend. He can just be the kid he is and EVERYONE accepts him. I get that for some this is unrealistic, but as a librarian this kind of exposure is breaking a barrier, and I LOVE THAT. Particularly the first crush and how that is handled is perfection. I couldn't have asked for better!

Plot-wise, I think everyone can tell from the jacket description that this is going to end with a mostly happy-ever after (and it does). But honestly Luca is just so gosh-darn wholesome and amazing that I would boycott the book if he hadn't gotten a happy ending. It's just a super fun book about a plucky kid with problems that are, in fact, solved by pizza. What's to dislike about that?

The issues Luca faces are real: his parents’ marriage is on the rocks, the family restaurant is draining their finances, his younger siblings are annoying, there’s best friend drama, and he has a serious crush…on the same boy his bestie, June, likes.

Like many tween and teen age kids, Luca feels like he needs to fix everything. He’s desperate to get his parents to reunite. Making pizza is his passion and his joy, and he’s good at it. But his mom won’t vary the menu the restaurant has featured for three generations. But when Luca finds out that his favorite food TV host, Tyler Perkins, is looking for pizza restaurants to feature in his final season of Pizza Perfect (think a pizza-centric Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives), and he thinks he may have the way to solve all the problems.

I like the deft way the author handles Luca’s issues, especially the weight of feeling responsible for so many things. The progression is natural as, finally, Luca and his parents all realize that he’s being expected to do too much. The addition of the TV host as a sort of mentor was sweet.

Likewise, the friendships and handling of Luca’s crush ring true. A crush is a crush, painful and beautiful, no matter what genders are involved. I remember having some of those same crush-feelings a million years ago when I was Luca’s age.

There is a liberal sprinkling of Italian words in here. I feel like Luca maybe says “Mamma mia!” a little too much. It’s comes across as kind of trite to me.

All in all, a great addition for a classroom library, especially for teachers, parents, or librarians seeking more representation.

Possible Objectionable Material:
Luca is very clear about being gay and having known he was gay for a long time. Divorce. Parents fighting. Money troubles. Friend issues.

Who Might Like This Book:
Foodies—especially pizza fanatics. Those who like coming-of-age stories. LGBTQIA+ kids looking for stories about kids like them.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

This book is also reviewed at https://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2024/05/representation-matters.html

Thank you HarperCollins and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. This was so cute! Luca has got a lot on his plate between juggling his family’s pizza restaurant, helping with his siblings, and trying to keep his parents together. But he’s about to meet Will, who brings him some much needed joy. The only problem is he’s pretty sure his best friend June is also interested in Will, and Luca doesn’t know if he is gay or not. When the opportunity to boost the restaurant by going on his favorite show, Pizza Perfect, he’ll jump at the opportunity. But with all he’s got going on can he pull it together? Will he be able to tell Will how he feels? I loved this one! A quick paced story! It’s fun, heartfelt, sweet, and ends wonderfully!

Incredibly cute middle grade book about a middle school boy who’s trying to hold it all together, his friendships, his parents marriage, and the family pizzeria. Luca is a talented pizza maker and anxious kid who wants to make everything perfect for everyone else and loses himself in the process.

Loved this book about Luca with so much on his plate as he tries to help his family with their struggling pizza restaurant. His parents are having marital issues, and he think he might like new student Will. When Will’s favorite pizza show announces a contest, Luca enters the contest in hopes it might save their restaurant and his parent’s marriage. Does Luca and his family win the contest? Does Will feel the same way as Luca?