The Spaceship Next Door (by Gene Doucette)

As fun as this book is -- about a town affected by the fact that a spaceship has landed in it, and a sixteen-year-old who might hold the key to everything -- there are a couple of off-putting elements. 

First, the sixteen-year-old in question, Annie, is a fun character but so preternaturally brilliant and mature that she comes off as a Mary Sue (or in this case a Gary Stu, I guess). There are parts where she's being snarky at the U.S government and somehow that's okay because Annie is just so amazing. This especially comes into focus at the end.

Second, the way the author harps on two characters being gay and using the adjective lesbian all the time (like "the angry lesbian was in the front seat" or similar) is off putting.  It comes across as an author awkwardly trying to shoehorn in some diversity by way of othering and vague misogyny.

Aside from these two issues I found this a generally entertaining story and a breezy read.