An interesting premise that gets bogged down in emotional turmoil.
Alec Braud is only 17, but he’s already a reality TV victor—and villain.
He’s also still in love with his showmance ex-boyfriend, Mexican American Joaquín Delgado. So when Joaquín suggests they go on a Midwestern road trip together to recreate—and “queerify”—scenes from famous musicals, Alec, who’s white, quickly agrees. The two boys embark on their journey, which will allow Joaquín to take photos for his art school portfolio, and attempt to process their feelings about Campfire Wars (“think low-budget Survivor for teens, just without the starvation”). They also navigate friendship after dating, which is complicated by the fact that Alec betrayed Joaquín to win the competition and the grand prize of $250,000. Despite his philanthropic intentions—he donated much of his winnings to his family’s struggling wildlife rehabilitation center—fans labeled Alec one of the worst contestants to appear on the show. Negative public opinion and the toxicity of the show’s production team cause Alec to seriously question both his identity and his relationships. He desperately tries to convince himself that his behavior was justified, but he constantly spirals, bringing readers into his chaotic headspace as he alienates his friends and makes poor decisions. As Alec tries his best to figure himself out, his inner debates and questionable actions can feel taxing. Hanson’s debut effectively delves into the seedy underbelly of the reality TV world, including biases in representation; this element may sustain readers’ interest.
An interesting premise that gets bogged down in emotional turmoil. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: June 17, 2025
ISBN: 9798890032720
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Page Street
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2025
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
This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression.
After surviving a suicide attempt, a fragile teen isn't sure she can endure without cutting herself.
Seventeen-year-old Charlie Davis, a white girl living on the margins, thinks she has little reason to live: her father drowned himself; her bereft and abusive mother kicked her out; her best friend, Ellis, is nearly brain dead after cutting too deeply; and she's gone through unspeakable experiences living on the street. After spending time in treatment with other young women like her—who cut, burn, poke, and otherwise hurt themselves—Charlie is released and takes a bus from the Twin Cities to Tucson to be closer to Mikey, a boy she "like-likes" but who had pined for Ellis instead. But things don't go as planned in the Arizona desert, because sweet Mikey just wants to be friends. Feeling rejected, Charlie, an artist, is drawn into a destructive new relationship with her sexy older co-worker, a "semifamous" local musician who's obviously a junkie alcoholic. Through intense, diarylike chapters chronicling Charlie's journey, the author captures the brutal and heartbreaking way "girls who write their pain on their bodies" scar and mar themselves, either succumbing or surviving. Like most issue books, this is not an easy read, but it's poignant and transcendent as Charlie breaks more and more before piecing herself back together.
This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression. (author’s note) (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-101-93471-5
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2016
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