Cool clothes, trendy music, and matters of the heart make for a pleasant sequel.
Penny joins her rocker boyfriend on his European tour.
After an explosion of embarrassment and betrayal earlier in the school year, Penny had no choice but to make her popular blog, Girl Online, private. She’s still in her romantic relationship with hottie Noah Flynn, one of the biggest rock stars on the planet, though. The couple has plans to travel Europe together over the summer while Noah and his band go on tour, but when ex-girlfriends, disapproving band mates, and exasperating managers rear their heads, can Noah and Penny's relationship survive? As her life becomes more and more complicated, Penny does her best to resist going back online and resurrecting her blog, but the impulse is getting harder and harder to ignore. In this sequel to series opener Girl Online (2014), Sugg is smart in pushing her characters out of their comfort zones. The author has an emotional story to tell, and she weaves it well, spanning a few different characters and how they fit together. However, this is a novel about a teenager and her sexy boyfriend traveling across Europe, and Sugg doesn't turn her nose up at all the possibilities that come with that premise. She mixes the fantasy with enough emotional reality that the book doesn't feel cheap or trashy, but it isn't exactly high art either. Readers who adore Stephanie Perkins and Jenny Han will see that this will do in a pinch, but it doesn't match the highs either of those authors achieve.
Cool clothes, trendy music, and matters of the heart make for a pleasant sequel. (Fiction. 12-16)Pub Date: Oct. 20, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-5011-0033-8
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Atria/Key Words
Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2015
Despite some missteps, this will appeal to readers who enjoy a fresh and realistic teen voice.
A teenage, not-so-lonely loner endures the wilds of high school in Austin, Texas.
Norris Kaplan, the protagonist of Philippe’s debut novel, is a hypersweaty, uber-snarky black, Haitian, French-Canadian pushing to survive life in his new school. His professor mom’s new tenure-track job transplants Norris mid–school year, and his biting wit and sarcasm are exposed through his cataloging of his new world in a field guide–style burn book. He’s greeted in his new life by an assortment of acquaintances, Liam, who is white and struggling with depression; Maddie, a self-sacrificing white cheerleader with a heart of gold; and Aarti, his Indian-American love interest who offers connection. Norris’ ego, fueled by his insecurities, often gets in the way of meaningful character development. The scenes showcasing his emotional growth are too brief and, despite foreshadowing, the climax falls flat because he still gets incredible personal access to people he’s hurt. A scene where Norris is confronted by his mother for getting drunk and belligerent with a white cop is diluted by his refusal or inability to grasp the severity of the situation and the resultant minor consequences. The humor is spot-on, as is the representation of the black diaspora; the opportunity for broader conversations about other topics is there, however, the uneven buildup of detailed, meaningful exchanges and the glibness of Norris’ voice detract.
Despite some missteps, this will appeal to readers who enjoy a fresh and realistic teen voice. (Fiction. 13-16)Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-06-282411-0
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
A smart, timely outing.
Two teens connect through a mysterious podcast in this sophomore effort by British author Oseman (Solitaire, 2015).
Frances Janvier is a 17-year-old British-Ethiopian head girl who is so driven to get into Cambridge that she mostly forgoes friendships for schoolwork. Her only self-indulgence is listening to and creating fan art for the podcast Universe City, “a…show about a suit-wearing student detective looking for a way to escape a sci-fi, monster-infested university.” Aled Last is a quiet white boy who identifies as “partly asexual.” When Frances discovers that Aled is the secret creator of Universe City, the two embark on a passionate, platonic relationship based on their joint love of pop culture. Their bond is complicated by Aled’s controlling mother and by Frances’ previous crush on Aled’s twin sister, Carys, who ran away last year and disappeared. When Aled’s identity is accidently leaked to the Universe City fandom, he severs his relationship with Frances, leaving her questioning her Cambridge goals and determined to win back his affection, no matter what the cost. Frances’ narration is keenly intelligent; she takes mordant pleasure in using an Indian friend’s ID to get into a club despite the fact they look nothing alike: “Gotta love white people.” Though the social-media–suffused plot occasionally lags, the main characters’ realistic relationship accurately depicts current issues of gender, race, and class.
A smart, timely outing. (Fiction. 12-16)Pub Date: March 28, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-06-233571-5
Page Count: 496
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2017
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