Futuristic technology, martial arts, corporate espionage, kidnapping, and two teenagers in love are just a few of the subjects dominating this high-action Sci-Fi/Fantasy novel by Author Stephanie Barr.Tessa Miller is a teenage girl living in the not-so-far-away future of 2045, with average looks and problems fitting in. Her keen wit, intelligence, and smart-mouth often causes her to be singled out and bullied. Dylan Chroz is a socially awkward but handsome, rich, and brilliant computer prodigy. Dylan and Tessa have been sidekicks for years, but within 24-hours of them having declared their love for one another, a rival tech firm called Maxcom kidnaps Tessa in a desperate bid to force Dylan to comply with their demands. Little does Maxcom realize the danger they just put themselves in by underestimating how lethal this pair can be... both together and on their own.It seems like a simple plot... However, it’s anything but.Barr digs deep into the adolescent mind to write her novel. Her two main characters, Dylan and Tessa, have more than a friendship, but their shy and awkward personalities seem adverse to ever creating any sort of intimate bond. The fragility of their relationship spurs the author to pen a courtship so subtle, so threatened by self-doubts and fears, that neither character even suspects what truly deep feelings they have for one another until Tessa’s life is put in danger. It’s only amidst all the chaos of her kidnapping that the pair actually realizes their individual inner strengths and demons as they become hell-bent on reuniting, no matter what. Juxtaposing her couple’s relationship with heavy action scenes relative to Tessa’s kidnapping, Barr takes just the right amount of time building tension and intimacy between the two teens, so that each moment of this budding romance threatens to go up in flames at any moment.While the romance between Barr’s socially awkward teens is always front and center in her story, “Saving Tessa” is still a fast-paced, intriguing, and revealing read. It’s Barr’s keen understanding of the adolescent mind that provides a depth and range for these two main characters to interact—even when they’re apart. As they question themselves about their new relationship, their knowledge, and certainty over how one would handle the situation if they were in the other’s shoes only enhances the high-stakes thrill-ride surrounding Tessa’s rescue. The two compliment each other perfectly—While a brilliant and tech-savvy, though lovestruck, Dylan stalls, challenges, and makes demands on Maxcom to try to get the upper hand, Tessa’s stubborn streak, her need to prove she’s not inferior to anyone, and her rock-em-sock-em ways aid Dylan in plotting and achieving her own rescue, even as she helps out others along the way. In the end, Barr’s story brings together a power-couple that may just lead their world into a brighter tomorrow.“Saving Tessa” does contain adult language, situations, and violence, so I would recommend this novel only for ages 17 and up.