Fumbling toward graceful sweetness.
Under the flashes of fireworks, 15-year-old Matt kisses his best friend, Stick, and soon everything changes.
The pair conclude that July night with an abrupt separation, leaving Matt unsure of what comes next. Then Stick loses his father to a massive heart attack, and their world alters once again. At first, Matt wants to be there for his friend, even though he can’t stop mulling over their kiss. When the two boys initiate a secret one-week relationship trial that abruptly ends once Matt’s mom discovers the pair canoodling, their friendship ruptures amid Matt’s internal struggles over his queerness and Stick’s uncertainties about his sexuality. It’s a long, winding road for Matt and Stick in Elenbark’s solid debut, a tortured, moody rumination on young queer love. Matt, a Puerto Rican, Naruto-obsessed teen with a dash of self-deprecation, struggles to overcome his uneasiness in his own skin, an inner battle amplified by his father’s machismo. For Stick, a white teen who finds solace in drugs and alcohol alongside a reluctant Matt, his father’s death casts doubt over his life, multiracial family (he has 12 mostly adopted siblings), and estrangement from his mother. The author explores the weight of coming out to one’s family and oneself with gentle thoughtfulness, although Matt’s at times unreliable narration threatens to derail this process. It’s all a little messy, uplifting in parts, yet committed to a triumphant finale that withers somewhat under scrutiny.
Fumbling toward graceful sweetness. (Realistic fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: June 30, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-940442-28-0
Page Count: 250
Publisher: Walrus Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 2, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet, nuanced, and reflective coming-of-age love story filled with moments of true beauty between family and friends.
Bestseller Dessen returns with the story of a teen who enters an unexpected whirlwind of a summer adventure with family she barely knows.
After high school graduation, Finley Hope expected to spend her customary two awkward weeks with her distant mother, Cat, who left when she was 4, before heading off to begin the life she’s planned around her boyfriend, Colin. But Cat abruptly changes their New York City itinerary, instead taking Finley with her to help prepare her rural family home for sale. Within days, Colin breaks up with Finley over a video call. Reeling from heartbreak, Finley throws her phone into the lake, entering an unexpected period of offline clarity. She also suffers the shock of accidentally discovering that Cat has cancer. But, immersed in the rhythms of the small town, Finley befriends new people—including Ben, a shy, awkward, but adorable cook at her aunt’s diner—while uncovering pieces of her mother’s past and the judgment that led her to keep her distance. Dessen excels at identifying pivotal aspects of young adulthood, allowing them to unfurl with authenticity and robust characterization. With time and reflection, Finley, who’s cued white, recognizes how much of her life she’s surrendered to others’ expectations. Through this forced pause and sudden change in plans, she discovers strength, independence, and the transformative power of being fully present in a place she never intended to be.
A sweet, nuanced, and reflective coming-of-age love story filled with moments of true beauty between family and friends. (Fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: May 5, 2026
ISBN: 9798347108770
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2026
PERSPECTIVES
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