A ravenous read.
June Blue has a solid plan—make special memories with her friends Imani and Siggy at the highly anticipated ZombieCon! and not think about life after high school.
At least, that is the plan until real zombies take over: Now June and her friends must save the day! The time has finally come for June, Imani, and Siggy to experience the rush of ZombieCon!, the fan convention centered around their favorite show, Human Wasteland—a huge event for their small town to host. June has carefully laid out every detail, from floor plans to an itinerary, in order to capitalize on their most significant adventure yet. She thought her biggest problems would be avoiding former bestie Blair (who stole June’s not-quite-boyfriend) and braving the long lines to meet her favorite actors. But at an all-cast panel, chaos ensues, causing everyone to question the reality of the very concept they’ve gathered to celebrate. Now they must fight their way out of the convention center and save their town with June leading a motley cast of characters, some of whom are not well fleshed out. Parsons (The Falling Between Us, 2018, etc.) successfully maintains a fast, humorous pace with heartfelt moments and palpable enthusiasm for zombies while also inserting social commentary about allyship for people with marginalized identities and the portrayal of women in horror. June and Siggy are white; Imani is black and Korean.
A ravenous read. (Horror. 12-18)Pub Date: April 14, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-525-51532-6
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: Jan. 6, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
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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