An attempt to bring Regency romance into the present that fails to gain momentum.
An epistolary novel featuring two individuals separated by centuries, each pining for the one they can’t have.
In the present day, Josie De Clare hopes to use the months before university to figure life out. Recently broken up with her selfish boyfriend, estranged from her best friend, and mourning the death of her father, she is headed to Atteberry, a northern English village where her father secretly purchased a small estate. There she finds a box of unsent letters from 1821 written by Elias Roch, illegitimate son and heir of the late Lord Roch. While reading the letters Elias wrote to one Josephine De Clare, a girl he met once and became increasingly besotted with, and his unfinished novel imagining what could have been, she sees similarities between herself and Josephine and starts to fall in love with Elias. It takes Josie months to read through the letters and manuscript, and the progression of her feelings feels forced. The characterization is choppy; Josie, who has suffered bouts of isolating grief, is never fully rounded or meaningfully developed. Elias’ obsession with Josephine, whom he only met once, seems tenuous, as does Josie’s in turn falling in love with him. Fortunately, she does meet local boy Oliver, a promising real-life alternative. Main characters are White; Josie’s ex has a Muslim name.
An attempt to bring Regency romance into the present that fails to gain momentum. (author’s note, discussion questions) (Romance. 12-18)Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7852-3618-4
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Review Posted Online: Dec. 30, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
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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