Charming characters and an enchanting exploration of Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy make this husband-and-wife duo’s debut a...
A young woman reluctantly cast as Juliet stumbles across her own real-life Romeo.
Bold senior Megan Harper is known for directing student theater productions and being a self-proclaimed boy-crazy flirt. But Megan isn’t ever “the one”: Most of her seven ex-boyfriends have met their true loves right after leaving her—including Tyler, who is now with her accomplished best friend, Madeleine. Despite Megan’s messy home life (she lives in Oregon with her dad, his pregnant wife, and their toddler, while her mom lives in Texas with her boyfriend), she has one post-graduation goal: attending a prestigious directing program. Because she needs one acting credit for her application, Megan auditions for the smallest role in her school’s production of Romeo and Juliet—but ends up as the female lead opposite Tyler. The play offers the prospect of wooing Will, one of the stagehands, and, realizing he’s friends with the new drama kid, Owen Okita, she cozies up to him in order to find out more about her latest crush, not realizing that her perfect match was right under her nose all along. Megan and Owen’s flirty, whip-smart banter is irresistible, and it’s refreshing to see a swoonworthy Asian male love interest. Owen is Japanese-American and Megan's best friend is a biracial (African-American and Mexican) boy; other major characters are white.
Charming characters and an enchanting exploration of Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy make this husband-and-wife duo’s debut a must-read. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 22, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-451-47984-6
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Speak/Penguin
Review Posted Online: March 4, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
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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