The large cast of angst-y characters with their equally daunting number of angst-y issues impedes deep exploration of any...
A torn family reunites years after a bitter divorce.
Lila and Robert’s divorce resulted in shared custody of their three daughters and their Long Island beach home. Eventually each remarries and has a new baby—Ray and Sasha, respectively—who grow up sharing their half sisters and a vacation-house bedroom, though their parents’ continued hostilities prevent them from meeting. Consequently, both children create imaginary playmate versions of the other based on objects left in their shared room. Both also privately grapple with their relationship, finding themselves not-quite twins, not-quite siblings, and not-quite roommates, though other characters seemingly use these definitions to avoid examining the messy family dynamics. Eventually a new, shared summer job initiates an email exchange between mixed-race Sasha and white Ray, increasing their mutual fascination, which is then complicated when their chance meeting ignites romance. Meanwhile, their half sister’s engagement party forces the extended family together, with predictably disastrous results. But soon family tragedy creates a tentative truce. Injections throughout of additional issues of race (brown-skinned Robert was adopted as a toddler from Bangladesh by white parents, and Lila is also white) and class (Robert’s “new money” versus Lila’s “old money” values) attempt profundity but more often just distract from Sasha and Ray’s potentially interesting connection.
The large cast of angst-y characters with their equally daunting number of angst-y issues impedes deep exploration of any particular character or idea. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: April 25, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-385-73689-3
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2017
A delectable rom-com debut.
Two bakeries in the fair city of Olinda, Brazil, are rivals—and two teens fall in love while fighting for their livelihoods.
Lari Ramires grieves the recent passing of her beloved grandmother, her absence deeply felt everywhere, especially in the now-empty spot she occupied in Salt, their family’s bakery. Already struggling to make ends meet thanks to fierce competition with Sugar, the bakery across the street owned by the Molinas, their longtime enemies, the family business takes an even bigger hit when supermarket chain Deals Deals starts driving small businesses to close. Lari finds herself at a crossroads, wanting to help with the bakery but under strict guidance from her mother to concentrate on her studies so that she can be the first Ramires to go to university. To protect Salt, she may do the unthinkable: reach out to Pedro, the Molinas’ teen son, to see if they can work together to save their bakeries. Can Pedro and Lari overcome decades of familial mistrust to work together? Brazilian author Carvalho’s novel is a sweet, charming story that sets its perfectly seasoned enemy-to-lovers tale in the diverse region of northeastern Brazil. As Pedro and Lari’s connection develops, their romance is enriched by the ways they find their own voices despite the weight of family expectations, grief, and financial distress.
A delectable rom-com debut. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-335-45433-1
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2022
Heart-pounding.
A gay, transgender brujo with burgeoning powers seeks answers about his cousin’s death.
Sixteen-year-old Yadriel also wishes for acknowledgement from his community but unexpectedly finds himself entangled in the unresolved wishes of a strong-willed, good-looking spirit. He descends from a long line of brujx who have been granted magic power by Lady Death to heal the living and to guide spirits into the afterlife. Although he’s grown up surrounded by a close-knit community, Yadriel feels alone, excluded indefinitely from a sacred rite of passage because he is transgender. When he senses that his cousin Miguel has died suddenly but the family can’t locate him, Yadriel sees an opportunity to prove to everyone he’s a true brujo by solving the mystery and releasing his cousin’s lost spirit. His plan quickly falls apart, as he accidentally summons the spirit of Julian Diaz, a boy with unfinished business who died the same day as Miguel. Both the romance and mystery burn slow and hot until the climax. Stakes begin high, and the intensity only increases with a looming deadline and a constant risk that Julian might lose himself, turning maligno. The cast of characters represents a diversity of Latinx identities sharing a community in East Los Angeles. Julian is Colombian while Yadriel is Cuban and Mexican. Their romance provides joyful, ground-breaking representation for gay, transgender boys.
Heart-pounding. (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-25046-9
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Swoon Reads/Macmillan
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020
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