A royal flush of a read for reluctant readers.
“Heads or tails” might seem like an innocent question. But for Essie Tomasi, it's a matter of life and death.
Identical twin geniuses Essie and Aggie are two sides of a coin. Aggie is preppy; Essie likes rocker girl bands and combat boots. Aggie is cheerful and open; Essie keeps her cards close to her chest, quite literally, as she’s struggling to hide a gambling addiction that's growing more destructive by the day. The increasingly severe repercussions of her addiction form the bulk of this story's action. The gambling scenes show Carter in top form, drawing the reader into Essie's lows and highs as she reads the room, stashes cards, and places bets. The adrenaline is almost palpable, and Essie’s first-person narration is redolent of teen sardonicism and desperation. When Essie gets dragged in too deep, finding herself weighing a debt she can't pay against her own moral integrity, the stakes feel appropriately dire. The surrounding plots, including Essie's burgeoning relationship with skater Dillon, her faltering relationship with her sister, and the pain of coming clean to her family, feel less developed. Carter leans unapologetically into teen-novel tropes, leaving the supporting characters feeling somewhat less than three-dimensional. That said, Essie's supportive family members prove to be the true heroes of the story, as they go to extraordinary lengths to help her. The story moves along at a thrilling clip, sure to maintain readers' attention.
A royal flush of a read for reluctant readers. (Thriller. 12-18)Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4598-2381-5
Page Count: 152
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2020
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
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
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