A charming and illuminating romance filled with swoony, timeline-altering chemistry.
A time-loop story centering on Bollywood dance, emotional growth, and finding true love.
In this stand-alone companion to 2023’s Kismat Connection, Raina Iyer faces the most important weekend of her senior year of high school. She’s not just competing for the last time in nationals of a Bollywood dance competition and trying to secure her third championship title, she’s also determined to win the event scholarship and prove to her mother that she can successfully pursue a career in dance. But things go haywire from the beginning, tanking Raina’s performance: Aditya Kumar, her boyfriend of four years and dance team co-captain, unexpectedly breaks up with her, and later she sustains a head injury mid-dance. All seems lost, but when she wakes up the next morning, Raina discovers she’s got another chance at living through the same day. Devarajan’s sophomore novel is a delightful romp through the competitive dance world, replete with nerves, sabotage, and oodles of romance. Raina and Aditya’s interactions crackle with chemistry, as Indian American Raina tries and tries again to save their relationship—all while facing the scrutiny and commentary of various aunties. Romantic tension and a range of emotions are on display as the duo work through their issues with heartfelt conversations—and lots of kissing. Raina’s journey to self-realization is enjoyable, and readers will feel invested in her.
A charming and illuminating romance filled with swoony, timeline-altering chemistry. (Romance. 13-18)Pub Date: May 20, 2025
ISBN: 9781335009944
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025
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
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
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