While it doesn’t quite stand on its own, this sequel deftly develops the appealing characters.
A teenager narrates his confusing emotions in this second installment of a coming-of-age series.
Picking up right where the first volume, Why Can’t Life Be Like Pizza? (2014), left off, Roamer continues the story of Arvydas “RV” Aleksandravičius, who has just finished his freshman year at a high school in Boston. RV had been looking forward to spending the summer with his good friends Bobby Marshall and Carole Higginbottom—especially Bobby, as the two shared their burgeoning gay feelings and a first kiss at the close of the preceding novel. Those plans quickly go out the window. Carole gets the opportunity to spend the summer in Paris, and Bobby is being torn between football and arguing about his future with his father. To make matters worse, RV feels that things are off when Bobby does make time for him. RV also discovers that his younger brother, Ray, may be getting in over his head with the wrong crowd. As the teen’s parents stress over their upcoming citizenship exams to become official Americans and the gas station where Bobby works comes under fire from local gangs, it seems the only safe place RV can go is Joe’s, his favorite pizza shop. There, his trustworthy mentor Mr. Aniso is ready with slices and advice. RV maintains the charm and wit that made him a lovable narrator in the first installment. This second chapter expands further into the heavier themes floating beneath the surface of the protagonist’s life, namely, racism, xenophobia, homophobia, and the decline of the American dream. (RV’s father’s hesitancy to become a United States citizen and his inability to articulate clearly why he left Lithuania deliver a fresh, intriguing take on contemporary first-generation American life.) But many plot points, such as surprising violence at the gas station and Bobby’s reluctance to come out, never reach a satisfying conclusion. Still, the stage is effectively set for the next volume.
While it doesn’t quite stand on its own, this sequel deftly develops the appealing characters.Pub Date: May 25, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-64890-021-1
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Ninestar Press, LLC
Review Posted Online: Sept. 6, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Disappointing.
Unlikely friends fight their growing feelings for each other while placing bets on other people’s love lives.
Bailey met Charlie while flying from Alaska, where she grew up, to Nebraska, where she and her mom would be living after her parents’ divorce. Although they briefly bonded over their parents’ divorces, Charlie’s cynicism grated on the rule-following Bailey, and she was thankful to part ways with him. Three years later, to Bailey’s dismay, she runs into Charlie when they both land jobs at Planet Funnn, a mega-hotel that’s “like a giant landlocked cruise ship.” This time around, Bailey and Charlie begin to get along better. To entertain themselves during their long shifts, they observe and make bets about the hotel guests. But they risk taking it too far when they bet on whether their co-worker Theo will end up with Nekesa, Bailey’s best friend, who’s in “a perfect relationship with the perfect guy.” The book explores Bailey’s conflicted feelings toward her mom’s new relationship with Scott (who doesn’t “do anything wrong” but whose presence changes “the vibe” at home), but it does so in a way that diminishes a primary source of conflict. Bailey's and Charlie’s feelings become even more complicated when Charlie helps Bailey with a fake-dating scheme intended to scare Scott off. Some of the banter between the leads, who are coded white, feels more aggressive than playful, detracting from their intimacy, and the circuitous plot may fail to sustain readers’ interest.
Disappointing. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 28, 2023
ISBN: 9781665921237
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
A thought-provoking exploration of storytelling dynamics in a social media–driven society.
A Black basketball star starts his senior year by pivoting to find his true voice in the classroom.
Ossie Brown was destined for greatness before an injury in a game ended his high school basketball career. Ossie feels like his future was stolen—and on top of that, his girlfriend dumps him. Grandma Alice comforts him with a reminder that basketball doesn’t define him; still, the game helped Ossie cope with his fractured relationship with his widowed mother. A new opportunity opens up when Ms. Hunt, Ossie’s Black English teacher at mostly white Braxton Academy, where he has a full-ride scholarship, tells him about the Mark Twain Creative Writing Program. A vivid dream in which his father speaks to him inspires Ossie’s application essay. He connects with Luis and Naima, the only other participants who aren’t white, but agitation by conservative students against a “woke agenda” leads to Ms. Hunt’s replacement by a teacher who exclusively uses texts by white authors. Ossie’s online attempt to support Naima’s protest has unintended consequences, and he’s forced to reevaluate his solo activism. The central characters’ relationships will engage readers, and Ossie’s dilemma will resonate with anyone whose good intentions have gone sideways. Committed, pragmatic, and reflective Ossie ultimately learns from Grandma Alice’s wise counsel: “This thing of ours—life, you see—is only as beautiful as the bonds we make as we journey through it.”
A thought-provoking exploration of storytelling dynamics in a social media–driven society. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9781536233469
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
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