This holiday romance is kind of a schlep.
Hannah Levin loves celebrating Hanukkah with her family—unfortunately, this year she’s stuck in Texas with her somewhat distant grandmother and a couple of horses.
New Yorker Hannah is determined to be miserable during her four-day stay in Rosenblum, Texas. It’s a small, slow-moving town with spotty cell service, and Hannah is allergic to the horses. She misses her friends and family back home, especially during the winter holiday. There’s also tension Hannah doesn’t fully understand between her parents and her grandmother; last year, her older brother visited Texas on his own, and now it’s her turn. But when Hannah meets cute, sweet (and Jewish) Noah Blum at the local deli, her short vacation becomes a lot more interesting. When snowstorms lead to flight cancellations, Hannah is stuck in Rosenblum for most of the rest of the holiday. Noah is determined to cheer her up and show her his Texas-style traditions for creating a magical Hanukkah. While Hannah spends each day helping Noah out in the deli, Noah organizes eight romantic nights all around town and even beyond. The adorable meet-cute involving a giant hot dog costume should launch a sweet romance full of Jewish joy, but instead what follows is a clunky narrative weighed down by repetition and some inconsistencies. While the voice is authentic, the romance is lukewarm at best.
This holiday romance is kind of a schlep. (Romance. 13-18)Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2023
ISBN: 9780593710333
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Underlined
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2023
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
A worthy second-chance romance.
In this follow-up to 2021’s Better Than the Movies, a 20-year-old college freshman gets a second chance at his dreams.
After the death of his father and his mother’s subsequent physical and emotional disappearance, Wes Bennett left behind all of his plans and the girl he made them with to go home and take care of Sarah, his younger sister. But now, Sarah has graduated, his mom is back on her feet, and by some miracle, Wes has an offer to pitch for UCLA’s baseball team. Liz Buxbaum, the girl he’s always loved, works for the university’s athletic department, taking photos and video of the team for social media, which means that maybe he can have a second chance at love, too. But since Wes left, Liz has made every effort to protect herself from ever feeling that broken again; there’s no room for love, because she doesn’t believe in it anymore. Or she doesn’t want to. This second-chance sports romance includes fake dates, quippy and quirky best friends, real heartache, and the sweet ache of first love. The clever dialogue keeps readers from drowning in the main characters’ emotional push-and-pull. Reading the first novel isn’t necessary for appreciating this one, although knowing the full history between Wes and Liz will only add to the ache and longing readers feel from and for them. Main characters are cued white.
A worthy second-chance romance. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781665947138
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
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