A heartwarming and endearing love story for readers to savor.
Another member of the boy band the Heartbreakers looks for love in this fourth and final installment in Novak’s series.
Cara Samuel is stuck. She’s finally in remission from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, but Cara, who’s nearly 20, is having a hard time restarting her life. At her sister Stella’s (annoying) urging, Cara cleans out her room and discovers an old bucket list that she created in a cancer support group but didn’t get to start working on thanks to a recurrence of her cancer. Stella is dating the lead singer of the Heartbreakers, Cara’s favorite band, and when they come to town, Cara meets their drummer, JJ Morris. Soon he’s helping her cross items off her list, and she’s posing as his girlfriend to help him fend off a jealous ex. As genuine feelings begin to grow between them, Cara must face her fears about her illness returning if she hopes to live life to its fullest. Readers should prepare to have their heartstrings plucked in this emotion-laden romance starring two flawed, lovable characters. Cara’s fears are easy to sympathize with, and following her journey to braving the world once again is enjoyable. JJ is a swoonworthy hero, courteous but flirtatious. Novak artfully and deftly employs the fake-dating and bucket list tropes, creating an entertaining tale with emotional depth. The leads are white.
A heartwarming and endearing love story for readers to savor. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2026
ISBN: 9781464230059
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2026
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters.
When star hockey player Alec Barczewski’s estranged childhood friend, Dani Collins, moves to town, they end up in a mutually beneficial fake-dating relationship that reignites old feelings.
Following her parents’ divorce, Dani and her mom move in with Dani’s hockey legend grandfather in Southview, Minnesota, where she spent a month every summer as a child and where her friendship with Alec grew. Between visits, the two were pen pals, but they eventually fell out of touch. Despite some tensions over their loss of friendship, the high school seniors reconnect. Desperate to get off Harvard’s waitlist, Dani needs another extracurricular activity, while Alec—whose reputation took a hit when a photo of him holding a bong appeared on social media—is eager to improve his tarnished image for NHL scouts. The pair strike a deal: They’ll fake date, making Alec look like a stable guy whose academically gifted girlfriend is related to hockey royalty, and in exchange, he’ll get Dani a team manager position that will catch the eye of Harvard’s admissions officers. Eventually, complicated feelings about their past, stressful family relationships, and their brewing romance boil over. Romance fans will love the deliciously tension-filled scenes between Alec and Dani, who are believable friends with heavy demands weighing on them. They feel like real teenagers, and readers will enjoy rooting for them as the well-paced story unfolds. Main characters present white.
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
ISBN: 9781665921268
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 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
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