A promising premise marred by ableist tropes and weak character development.
A Sapphic romance between a ghost and the girl who can see her.
For high school senior Astra, talking to ghosts is a daily occurrence. She shares this trait with her mother, who was forcibly committed by Astra’s father several years earlier. Astra keeps to herself, hiding her ability from her mom and avoiding close relationships with classmates—that is until the day the cute ghost of 16-year-old Isla asks for help completing what Astra dubs her “anti-bucket list.” Isla’s influence forces Astra out of her shell, opening her up to normal teen experiences, such as attending prom and befriending track team legend Oliver, who’s gay (Astra is cued bisexual). As the girls grow closer, Astra realizes that Isla is hiding significant details about how she came to be a ghost—details that could have major ramifications for the pair’s future. Astra’s mother and Oliver are compelling yet underdeveloped supporting characters. Near the book’s conclusion, a significant plot twist comes to light, and the author unfortunately utilizes harmful disability tropes to propel the story. Astra and her mom are described as having dark skin and “unruly black hair”; Isla and Oliver read white. Astra is implied to have sensory processing sensitivities.
A promising premise marred by ableist tropes and weak character development. (Paranormal romance. 14-18)Pub Date: April 9, 2024
ISBN: 9781636795843
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2024
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 worthy second-chance romance.
In this follow-up to 2021’s Better Than the Movies, a 20-year-old college freshman gets a second chance at his dreams.
After the death of his father and his mother’s subsequent physical and emotional disappearance, Wes Bennett left behind all of his plans and the girl he made them with to go home and take care of Sarah, his younger sister. But now, Sarah has graduated, his mom is back on her feet, and by some miracle, Wes has an offer to pitch for UCLA’s baseball team. Liz Buxbaum, the girl he’s always loved, works for the university’s athletic department, taking photos and video of the team for social media, which means that maybe he can have a second chance at love, too. But since Wes left, Liz has made every effort to protect herself from ever feeling that broken again; there’s no room for love, because she doesn’t believe in it anymore. Or she doesn’t want to. This second-chance sports romance includes fake dates, quippy and quirky best friends, real heartache, and the sweet ache of first love. The clever dialogue keeps readers from drowning in the main characters’ emotional push-and-pull. Reading the first novel isn’t necessary for appreciating this one, although knowing the full history between Wes and Liz will only add to the ache and longing readers feel from and for them. Main characters are cued white.
A worthy second-chance romance. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781665947138
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
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