Unmissable.
Two immortal beings compete to influence their human client’s fate and win an influential mentorship.
Darling Sparkleton is the first fairy to graduate from the Mortal Outcome Academy. Having overcome significant discrimination from celestials, Darling is excited to enact meaningful change and ready to bestow Happily Ever Afters on her mortal clients once she wins the Mortal Outcome Council mentorship. Fellow grad Calamity, a Misfortune who leads clients away from chaotic Unhappily Ever Afters toward stable Ordinary Ever Afters, is desperate to escape his hostile, neglectful father. When a clandestine mission earns him a chance at the mentorship, Calamity sees a way out. Darling and Calamity have seven midnights to influence their client, Lucy Addlesberg, the owner of a struggling bookshop. In a magical altercation, they immediately reveal their true selves to Lucy. Now they must pretend to be a couple and influence her choice through friendship rather than magic, all while their annoying—and annoyingly attractive—rival constantly derails their plans. Written in engaging prose, this enchanting cozy fantasy with adult crossover appeal has it all—creative worldbuilding, well-developed characters, and a sweet, swoonworthy romance. It balances whimsy with thoughtful, authentic bipolar disorder representation. The story, which captures the essence of Brandy’s Cinderella, features refreshingly realistic relationship development—no glass slippers here!—while honoring fairy tales’ world-changing magic and emphasizing a message of kindness and care. Darling and Lucy read Black, and Calamity is implied Black and Asian. Many characters are in queer relationships.
Unmissable. (content warnings) (Fantasy. 13-adult)Pub Date: Feb. 3, 2026
ISBN: 9781250375773
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2025
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
Exactly what the title promises.
A grieving teen’s devotion to romance films might ruin her chances at actual romance.
Liz Buxbaum has always adored rom-coms, not least for helping her still feel close to her screenwriter mother, who died when she was little. Liz hopes that her senior year might turn into a real-life romantic fantasy, as an old crush has moved back to town, cuter and nicer than ever. Surely she can get Michael to ask her to prom. If only Wes, the annoying boy next door, would help her with her scheming! This charming, fluffy concoction manages to pack into one goofy plot every conceivable trope, from fake dating to the makeover to the big misunderstanding. Creative, quirky, daydreaming Liz is just shy of an annoying stereotype, saved by a dry wit and unresolved grief and anger. Wes makes for a delightful bad boy with a good heart, and supporting characters—including a sassy best friend, a perfect popular rival, even a (not really) evil stepmother—all get the opportunity to transcend their roles. The only villain here is Liz’s lovelorn imagination, provoking her into foolish lies that cause actual hurt feelings; but she is sufficiently self-aware to make amends just in time for the most important trope of all: a blissfully happy ending. All characters seem to be White by default.
Exactly what the title promises. (Romance. 12-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-6762-0
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
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