A gloriously sweet holiday read about expectations and reality.
In this YA romance, a Christmas wish has life-changing consequences.
Graham Wallace wants two things: to get out of Christmas, Virginia, and Sarah Clarke. The former is his holiday-obsessed small town, which the high school junior finds cozy but stifling; the latter is his childhood pal and next-door neighbor, a dedicated ballerina who happens to be dating Graham’s best friend, Jeremy Davis. Time is running out before the school’s winter formal. Graham has just asked the new girl in town, Piper Hudson, who also happens to frequent the bookstore where he works, when he makes a private, late-night Christmas wish. The next morning, Graham has what he desired. In this alternate reality, Graham and Sarah have been dating for two years and are planning to move to New York City after graduation. Jeremy has transformed from skinny gamer to buff wrestler and is interested in Piper, still the new girl in town and now Graham’s co-worker at the bookstore. But as the holiday draws closer in Christmas, Virginia, Graham realizes he and Sarah may not be the perfect match he once fantasized about. Despite their long-term relationship, the couple struggle to connect, and her parents aren’t exactly crazy about him. In the meantime, Graham can’t get Piper off his mind—is she truly the one he’s meant to be with? Bobulski creates a Hallmark movie–esque setting in Christmas, with special traditions and quirky townsfolk, like bookstore owner Aunt Bee and Graham’s parents, who have a long-term love story of their own. Graham is a winning narrator, devoted to Sarah in a way that’s realistic for a teenage boy but without ever becoming obsessive or entitled about his dream girl. Sarah herself has realistic inner conflicts about the future she thinks she wants with Graham and her actual dreams; and Piper shines as a well-developed love interest—a cheerleader with a passion for reading to match Graham’s—who is always straightforward about her feelings in a way that’s truly refreshing.
A gloriously sweet holiday read about expectations and reality.Pub Date: Oct. 28, 2021
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 214
Publisher: Wise Wolf Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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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