A topical musical romance that mostly hits the right notes.
After the death of her brother, Scarlett finds solace and romance by joining a band.
The white teen is spending the summer at Grandpa’s house in Georgia before starting college. Her beloved brother has recently died of a prescription drug overdose after a long struggle with addiction. Within short order she mingles with and joins the small town’s main musical interest, a band called the Beastings. It takes merely moments before Scarlett is smitten by the gorgeous and careless lead singer, Declan. As she gains a deeper understanding of the other members, especially guitarist Zach, it becomes clear that tensions are mounting within the band. Scarlett’s relationship with her best friend, Varun, gay and of Indian descent, is also suddenly mysteriously strained. Told through Scarlett’s intimate and sometimes-droll perspective, the story touches on the timely topic of opioid addiction while maintaining a swift and light narrative flow. However, the song lyrics and musical descriptions leave something to be desired: “Zach lurches into a searing solo that sounds like a car engine revving” is not atypical. When all is said and done, the key characters in this mostly pleasant drama stumble then pick themselves back up having learned something about grief and loyalty. Grandpa’s small Georgia town seems to be a pretty white one.
A topical musical romance that mostly hits the right notes. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Dec. 12, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-63583-010-1
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Flux
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2017
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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