A gut-wrenching story that honestly explores the normalization of alcoholism.
An incoming college student in Virginia experiences a life-altering summer.
Blake Brenner, who has a Black dad and a white mom, wants to be seen, celebrated, and respected—and to overcome her humble beginnings, anxiety, and childhood bullying. She’s off to a great start, having landed a beautiful girlfriend, Black and Filipina Ella Spencer, whose money and social status open any door. Ella’s influence helps them score an invitation to pledge the Serena Society, a secret sisterhood “for powerful, badass women of color” at Jameswell University, where Blake, Ella, and Blake’s best friend, Annetta Jones, who’s Black, are going in the fall. The three girls are determined to join the elite ranks of Serena, no matter the cost. Desperately looking to please everyone, even at a cost to herself, Blake depends heavily on alcohol. Surely, if drinking makes her loved by her girlfriend and the life of the party, it can’t be that bad? Blake’s chaotic summer after high school graduation ultimately comes to a hopeful end, with her taking stock of her life. In their sophomore novel, award-winner Hammonds impressively uses flashbacks and their profound command of language to animate Blake’s narrative, powerfully illustrating alcohol’s effects on her mental state. Readers will be gripped from the very beginning by the author’s thrilling storytelling, which presents thought-provoking conversations about alcohol consumption, identity, and elitism.
A gut-wrenching story that honestly explores the normalization of alcoholism. (content warning, author’s note) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 14, 2024
ISBN: 9781250816597
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
A treat for mystery readers who enjoy being kept in suspense.
Everyone believes that Salil Singh killed his girlfriend, Andrea Bell, five years ago—except Pippa Fitz-Amobi.
Pip has known and liked Sal since childhood; he’d supported her when she was being bullied in middle school. For her senior capstone project, Pip researches the disappearance of former Fairview High student Andie, last seen on April 18, 2014, by her younger sister, Becca. The original investigation concluded with most of the evidence pointing to Sal, who was found dead in the woods, apparently by suicide. Andie’s body was never recovered, and Sal was assumed by most to be guilty of abduction and murder. Unable to ignore the gaps in the case, Pip sets out to prove Sal’s innocence, beginning with interviewing his younger brother, Ravi. With his help, Pip digs deeper, unveiling unsavory facts about Andie and the real reason Sal’s friends couldn’t provide him with an alibi. But someone is watching, and Pip may be in more danger than she realizes. Pip’s sleuthing is both impressive and accessible. Online articles about the case and interview transcripts are provided throughout, and Pip’s capstone logs offer insights into her thought processes as new evidence and suspects arise. Jackson’s debut is well-executed and surprises readers with a connective web of interesting characters and motives. Pip and Andie are white, and Sal is of Indian descent.
A treat for mystery readers who enjoy being kept in suspense. (Mystery. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-9636-0
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2019
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