by Ali Novak ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 4, 2017
An undemanding, wish-fulfillment romance.
Another fluffy romance between a girl and a boy-band member, following The Heartbreakers (2015).
Four years ago, after her rebellious older sister, Rose, ran away, Felicity came up with a plan for her future, one designed to make her single mom happy: going to Harvard and becoming a lawyer—just like her absentee dad. It also means working, studying hard, and volunteering as much as she can, leaving little time for enjoying her summer with her best friends, Asha and Boomer. Then, volunteering at a charity ball, she meets the very cute, very reserved Alec, a member of the Heartbreakers. Sparks fly, but right before their first date, Felicity discovers a life-altering secret her mother has been keeping: Rose has been writing Felicity letters since she left. This sends Felicity on a quest to find Rose, accompanied by Alec, Asha, and Boomer. Along the way, she’ll have to come to grips with questions about lies, the truth, and whether her plans for the future will make her happy—can her happiness include Alec? The romance between Felicity and Alec is standard, from the meet-cute to the inevitable misunderstanding. There’s not really anything that elevates the characters or plot beyond the conventional, yet Novak handles it all with a light, deft touch. Save mixed-race Asha, whose mother is Indian and whose father is white, the cast of principals is an all-white one.
An undemanding, wish-fulfillment romance. (Romance. 14-16)Pub Date: July 4, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-5336-3
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: April 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2017
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by Elle Fowler & Blair Fowler ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 4, 2012
There’s a built-in audience for the London sisters’ adventures, but beneath all the glitter is a bunch of blah.
Hardworking sisters face glamorous romantic and professional challenges in Los Angeles.
Approachable fashionista-next-door video bloggers Sophia and Ava London have built an impressive reputation as savvy guides to fashion, accessories and personal grooming and are thrilled to be moving up in their shared career. An award naming the tightknit sisters Best Webstars of the Year leads to a licensing deal for their own makeup line—London Calling—with LuxeLife Cosmetics, and now the hottest men in Los Angeles are falling at their feet. Ava begins dating paparazzi-bait–turned–doting boyfriend Liam Carlson (but she continues to enjoy flirtatious banter with Dalton, a fellow volunteer at the local animal shelter). Meanwhile, Sophia, “boytoxing” after being blindsided by a terrible breakup, finds herself torn between wealthy smoothie Hunter Ralston and gorgeous Italian bartender-sculptor Giovanni. The Fowlers—who, like their protagonists, are beauty-and-fashion video bloggers—let their otherwise-effervescent modern fairy tale of sisterly love and self-actualization get bogged down in a dreary subplot of sibling separation anxiety and jealousy, basing it on the flimsiest of serial miscommunications and resolving it in a single paragraph. A last-chapter twist threatens the sisters’ reputation (and sets up a potential sequel), making the novel simply stop, rather than resolve.
There’s a built-in audience for the London sisters’ adventures, but beneath all the glitter is a bunch of blah. (Chick lit. 14-16)Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-250-00618-9
Page Count: 288
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Review Posted Online: Aug. 7, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2012
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by Sam Cameron ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 18, 2012
Mystery fans may wish for more sleuthing; those following the twins' love lives and military careers will find plenty of...
This second adventure featuring twin amateur sleuths Steven and Denny Anderson focuses on the teens' personal lives.
Steven has sworn off dating, but multiple girls are pursuing him. Denny, finally out as gay to friends and family, is dating Brian and eager to lose his virginity before leaving to train for the Coast Guard at the end of the summer. Meanwhile, a tree falls on the Andersons' house, and the twins take up temporary residence on their friend Nathan Carter's boat. There are scuba-diving lessons with a cantankerous war veteran and his teenage daughter, a run-in with a strict and homophobic aunt, a martial arts challenge and a variety of relationship conflicts. Among so many subplots, the titular secret, which involves a mysterious, crashed satellite and violent out-of-towners eager to retrieve it, fades somewhat into the background. The result is a busy but lively teen drama with Steven and Denny's practical, caring, sometimes antagonistic and often humorous brotherly relationship at its center.
Mystery fans may wish for more sleuthing; those following the twins' love lives and military careers will find plenty of twists and turns to appreciate here. (Mystery. 14-16)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-60282-742-4
Page Count: 246
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Review Posted Online: July 24, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2012
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