An uneven debut, but Parsons shows real promise with Jason’s characterization.
A down-on-his-luck teen is made an offer he can't refuse.
Jason and his sister, Janie, are stuck with their abusive, alcoholic father in the worst part of town. The pair scrimp and save anything they can and dream of one day having enough cash to strike out on their own. So when high school it boy Michael drives up in his vintage Mustang and offers Jason $50 a day to hang out with him, Jason has little reason to turn him down. The results of this arrangement prove to be less than advantageous. The author weaves a web of lies and deceit around Jason, so much so that readers will barely know whom to trust less, Michael or the enigmatic and impossibly sexy Cyndra. As Jason tries to figure out who's playing what and for whom, readers get a look at a fully formed but terribly damaged individual. Less interesting are most of the other characters, all drawn with broad strokes. This makes the novel a bit repetitive in the middle, when Jason gets into a cycle of brooding, then trusting a bit, and then brooding again once new information comes to light several times over. The novel's ending is also far too "happily ever after" considering all the angst that came before, making for a jarring tonal experience.
An uneven debut, but Parsons shows real promise with Jason’s characterization. (Fiction. 12-16)Pub Date: April 21, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-399-16847-5
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A frothy mystery that trips over its desire for social relevance.
A mysterious social network sows discontent.
NEED is the hot new thing. The social network claims to provide the one thing each member truly needs. All a user has to do is provide the site with a request and perform a task. These tasks start off small, like emailing invitations to join the site to five people, but the bigger the need, the bigger the task. Sixteen-year-old Kaylee has one big need: a new kidney for her ailing younger brother. NEED has promised her the kidney, but how far will Kaylee go to get it? And how far will her classmates go to get what they desire above all else? Charbonneau provides readers with Kaylee's first-person perspective and sprinkles in several chapters from those of her peers. The result is a web as intricate as NEED's own networking. Less interesting is Kaylee's single-mindedness. The chapters that don't feature Kaylee are a welcome respite from her obsession with her younger brother's health. This trait is honorable at first, but it won’t take long for readers to decide that Kaylee has nothing else going on. When her friend Nate professes undying love, readers will wonder why. Other characters, such as Gina, the school's mean girl, and Ethan, a budding sociopath, are a delight. The book also squanders nuance regarding NEED's social and psychological implications. These themes are spoken aloud by NEED's creator, a comically villainous character who would be charming if one didn’t suspect her primary purpose is making subtext into text.
A frothy mystery that trips over its desire for social relevance. (Thriller. 12-16)Pub Date: Nov. 3, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-544-41669-7
Page Count: 352
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2015
Will delight readers looking for a romance with humor and heart.
Christmas is coming, but all is not merry and bright for Frankincense Wood.
Francie’s best friend, Alice Kim, is going to a different school, and it’s getting harder to connect. The 15-year-old is also dealing with cruel ongoing teasing from some boys following her first kiss two years earlier. Francie works at the Hollydale Holiday Shop, the family store filled with memories of her beloved late grandfather. Her overbearing Aunt Carole is implementing efficient, regimented processes in hopes of turning around the store’s financial situation. When Francie offhandedly refers to herself as Santa’s Intern while promoting the shop on a local cable-access show, they are inundated with letters requesting things from Santa. Meanwhile, Francie is hoping for a second chance at kissing, this time with cute transfer student Hector Ramirez. When a heartfelt letter inspires Francie to raise money to buy books for kids using local food pantries, she, Hector, and their classmate Ellie Baptiste work on a short film for a school project that also serves as a book drive fundraiser. A bonus: lots of time together with her new crush. The romantic plotline is strong but does not overshadow the treatment of friendship, grief, money worries, and more. Readers will relate to Francie’s feelings of mortification about the boys’ shaming of her. Francie and her family are coded White; Alice has Korean ancestry, Hector reads as Latinx, and Ellie is cued as Black.
Will delight readers looking for a romance with humor and heart. (Romance. 12-16)Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5344-7883-1
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: June 7, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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