For those who already know and love Georgia, only one word is necessary: more. For those few who have just returned from Antarctica: here is the third installment in the stream-of-consciousness glimpses into the inner mind of quite conceivably the most self-interested teen in the world. As with the first two novels (Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging, 2000; On the Bright Side, I’m Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God, 2001), Georgia’s own voice, laced with loony British teen-isms, is the raison de read. Rennison consistently displays a near-perfect sense of comic timing and an ear for language that subsumes normal demands for such traditional plot elements as, say, rising and falling action. The plot, such as it is, finds Georgia first stolidly bearing up under the torture of a five-day family holiday in Och-aye Land, where the acme of excitement is hanging out at the 24-hour supermarket with the local boys (known by the collective noun “Jock Mcthick”). Home at last, she turns her attentions to her twin favorite pursuits: makeup and moving up the Snogging Scale with Robbie, the Sex God. This outpouring ends with a real breakthrough in terms of character development: the reader may detect the rudiments of a conscience when Georgia finds herself attracted to both her boyfriend the S.G. and to Dave the Laugh, former red herring and current boyfriend of friend Ellen, when she accidentally snogs him at a dance: “3:05 a.m. Oh God, she is my mate. I am bad bad baddy bad bad. Jesus would never snog his mate’s boyfriend. 3:15 a.m. I will probably never be able to sleep again. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.” Will there be any further, further, further confessions? Dancing in My Nuddy-Pants will be published this summer in tea-and-crumpets agogo land—we can hardly wait. (Fiction. YA)
Pub Date: May 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-06-623656-8
Page Count: 240
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2002
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 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
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