A largely enjoyable story with a spicy queer romance.
Margo Zimmerman has it all: She is smart, gorgeous, and she’s dating one of the most popular guys in her school.
When Margo plays a game of spin the bottle at a friend’s party and it lands on a girl, Margo realizes midkiss that she’s gay. With no helpful guidance from her polyamorous, pansexual older brother, Margo reaches out to the only openly queer person she can think of: Abbie Sokoloff. Abbie herself is in need of guidance, as her prospective university has rescinded their acceptance letter due to her poor grades. Abbie decides to teach Margo queer 101 in exchange for academic tutoring. This lighthearted story addresses lesbian and bisexual stereotypes through comical interactions and witty dialogue that sometimes reads as more grown up than teen. Despite being the product of a collaboration between two authors, the plot-driven narrative told from alternating first-person points of view is sometimes confusing when it comes to distinguishing between the protagonists’ voices. However, this adorable, sex-positive, will-they, won’t-they romance is an engaging story. The characters, though somewhat one-dimensional, will keep readers interested as they learn more about themselves and each other. Both main characters are Jewish, neurodivergent, and queer; they are cued as White.
A largely enjoyable story with a spicy queer romance. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781335453655
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Review Posted Online: March 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
Fear the reaper(s)…but relish this intelligent and entertaining blend of dark humor and high death tolls.
Death proves impermanent in this sequel to Scythe (2016).
In a world run by the (almost) all-powerful and (almost) omniscient artificial intelligence Thunderhead, only the Honorable Scythes deal permanent death to near-immortal humans. Yet a growing contingent of scythes, feared and flattered by society and operating outside the Thunderhead’s control, are proving rather dishonorable. No longer apprentices, 18-year-olds Citra Terranova and Rowan Damisch realize “the scythedom is…high school with murder” as they watch their fellow scythes jockey for power and prestige. Citra now gleans as Scythe Anastasia, questioning the status quo but also opposing the homicidally enthusiastic “new-order” scythes and their dangerous demagogue. Self-appointed as Scythe Lucifer, Rowan hunts other scythes whom he deems corrupt. Meanwhile, the existentially troubled Thunderhead questions its role as both creation and caretaker of humanity, sworn not to take life but fearing that its utopia will otherwise collapse into dystopia. Nationality and race are minimally mentioned—ethnic biases and genocide are considered very gauche—yet a population that defies death, aging, sickness, poverty, and war risks becoming bleakly homogenous, alleviated only by “unsavories” and scythes. This sequel digs deeper into Shusterman’s complex world and complicated characters, offering political maneuvering, fatal conspiracies, and impending catastrophe via a slowly unfurling plot and startling bursts of action.
Fear the reaper(s)…but relish this intelligent and entertaining blend of dark humor and high death tolls. (Science fiction. 14-adult)Pub Date: Jan. 9, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4424-7245-7
Page Count: 512
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Nov. 21, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2017
Fluffy and fun fodder for romance fans.
High school seniors Easton and Harper strike a mutually beneficial agreement: His senior prank shenanigans stay under wraps, and she gets a date to prom.
It’s a dare gone wrong for hockey hotshot Easton: Ask his longtime crush, Maddie, to prom and get a “yes” or steal the rival high school’s mascot costume. After Maddie turns him down, Harper catches Easton wearing the rhino getup and making a run for it, and she offers him a deal: She’ll keep his secret and help him complete the prank if he agrees to take her to prom. She volunteered on the prom committee and bought her dream dress—all she needs now is a date. Neither of them expected feelings between them to grow or how difficult it would be to express them. Harper and Easton, who are cued white, are likable characters with good chemistry, and their tension-filled scenes lead to a satisfying, sweetly romantic ending. Though there are hints about pressures and stresses in their home lives, the lack of character development leaves these topics underexplored. Easton’s hockey career plays a small role; there are a few practices and discussions of his college scholarship, but readers expecting more sports content may be disappointed. Some of the language and phrasing Ney uses in her YA debut feels outdated or as if it’s trying so hard to sound like a teenager’s voice that it pulls readers out of the story.
Fluffy and fun fodder for romance fans. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 17, 2026
ISBN: 9798217117390
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Delacorte Romance
Review Posted Online: Nov. 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2026
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