Despite an intriguing premise, thrills fizzle against a convoluted plot.
Teens become embroiled in a murder investigation when their science teacher’s body is discovered at the camp they all attended.
Two summers ago, Darby Wallis and her ex-boyfriend, Morgan Rhodell, broke up after Morgan betrayed her. In the aftermath, their friend group drifted apart. But everything else about that summer is a blank, including all of them having been counselors at Camp Choctawhatchee under the supervision of their former science teacher, who mysteriously disappeared. When his body turns up in the present, the teens enter a nightmare of accusations, interrogations, and blackmail. To clear their names, they must recover their memories, but whom can they trust when seemingly everyone in their picturesque Florida town is keeping secrets? In alternating first-person chapters interspersed with police transcripts, Darby and Morgan reflect on family and each other as they investigate—and try to stay alive. Darby’s desire to rebel against her good-girl image and perfectionist parents inspires sympathy, as does Morgan’s grief over his mother’s death. Unfortunately, a somewhat overstuffed plot risks desensitizing readers to its thrills. One twist requires considerable suspension of disbelief, and a revelation comes too late to have much impact. Most secondary characters are underdeveloped save for a troubled boy with ADHD; even Darby’s best friend, who’s cued as having some Japanese ancestry, is seldom portrayed as more than a supportive sidekick. Darby and Morgan default to White.
Despite an intriguing premise, thrills fizzle against a convoluted plot. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: March 8, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-7852-3621-4
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
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
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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