A fast-paced, thrilling diversion.
Five asexual teens infiltrate an illegal den of high-roller gamblers to expose a crime boss with plans to monopolize the Las Vegas Strip.
When the FBI arrests his mother, the CEO of the Golden Age Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, 17-year-old Jack Shannon flies home for the summer. The FBI has had its eye on the Shannons for decades, but this time they have sufficient evidence to take action, and Jack knows exactly who gave it to them: his mother’s bitter rival, crooked hotel owner Peter Carlevaro. Despite his older sister’s insistence, Jack has no intention of letting it go. With the help of his four best friends—members of an online group of asexual teens he’s never met in person—and a backpack full of poker chips, Jack sneaks into a secret gambling club in search of evidence to save his family and take down Carlevaro. The self-aware, conversational style of the first-person narration balances astute, snarky critique and a flair for drama. Each time Jack makes a move, the stakes increase. Honesty, accountability, and family stand out as significant themes in Jack’s character development. His all-ace friend group highlights the diversity of identities within the spectrum of asexuality and affirms the fluidity of sexuality. As well as Jack, who reads as White, the central characters include an aromantic, Latinx, gender-nonconforming boy; a Vietnamese American and German nonbinary teen; and an implied Black girl who is a hacker prodigy.
A fast-paced, thrilling diversion. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-68263-466-0
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Peachtree Teen
Review Posted Online: June 7, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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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