A frothy bit of envelope pushing.
One teenager’s summer idyll: beer, partying, pot, food, and flirtation with girls.
Shipped off from Eugene, Oregon, to stay with small-beach-town relatives while his alcoholic mom recovers from her latest stint in rehab, 17-year-old Nick soon finds himself hanging out with the locals, including his cousin Emily’s circle. Among the latter is Jace, who turns out, despite a botched kiss and a few other amusing (to readers, anyway) fumbles, to be easy to talk to and be with: a comfy, obvious soul mate. But it’s mysterious, intoxicating Phoebe, glamorously taciturn and distant, who comes to fill Nick’s field of vision, spark weeks of obsession, and, finally, casually, take him to bed (“creating,” as he rapturously puts it, “this vortex of incredible bliss”). There are few explicit details, but along with detailing snacks and fistfights, Nick frankly describes both his previous (limited) love life and some steamy snogging as he carries his account to summer’s end. Both Jace and Phoebe and, come to that, Nick’s toxic mom and the rest of the apparently all-white cast, are cardboard standees, but Nick carries the tale, being such a clearheaded, fundamentally decent sort that he’s never in any danger of taking or inflicting any serious harm.
A frothy bit of envelope pushing. (Fiction. 14-17)Pub Date: June 19, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4814-8816-7
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 4, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
Several yards short of a touchdown.
A transgender boy starting over at a new school falls hard for a popular cheerleader with a reputation to protect in this debut.
On the first day of senior year, transgender boy Pony locks eyes with cisgender cheerleader Georgia. They both have pasts they want to leave behind. No one at Hillcrest High knows that Pony is transgender, and he intends to keep it that way. Georgia’s last boyfriend shook her trust in boys, and now she’s determined to forget him. As mutual attraction draws them together, Pony and Georgia must decide what they are willing to risk for a relationship. Pony’s best friend, Max, who is also transgender, disapproves of Pony’s choice to live stealth; this disagreement leads to serious conflict in their relationship. Meanwhile, Georgia and Pony behave as if Pony’s trans identity was a secret he was lying to her about rather than private information for him to share of his own volition. The characters only arrive at a hopeful resolution after Pony pays high physical and emotional prices. McSmith places repeated emphasis on the born-in-the-wrong-body narrative when the characters discuss trans identities. Whiteness is situated as the norm, and all main characters are white.
Several yards short of a touchdown. (Fiction. 14-17)Pub Date: May 26, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-294317-0
Page Count: 368
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
An emotionally engaging closer that fumbles in its final moments.
Lara Jean prepares for college and a wedding.
Korean-American Lara Jean is finally settled into a nice, complication-free relationship with her white boyfriend, Peter. But things don’t stay simple for long. When college acceptance letters roll in, Peter and Lara Jean discover they’re heading in different directions. As the two discuss the long-distance thing, Lara Jean’s widower father is making a major commitment: marrying the neighbor lady he’s been dating. The whirlwind of a wedding, college visits, prom, and the last few months of senior year provides an excellent backdrop for this final book about Lara Jean. The characters ping from event to event with emotions always at the forefront. Han further develops her cast, pushing them to new maturity and leaving few stones unturned. There’s only one problem here, and it’s what’s always held this series back from true greatness: Peter. Despite Han’s best efforts to flesh out Peter with abandonment issues and a crummy dad, he remains little more than a handsome jock. Frankly, Lara Jean and Peter may have cute teen chemistry, but Han's nuanced characterizations have often helped to subvert typical teen love-story tropes. This knowing subversion is frustratingly absent from the novel's denouement.
An emotionally engaging closer that fumbles in its final moments. (Romance. 14-17)Pub Date: May 2, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4814-3048-7
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2017
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