A queer romance that really goes the distance.
In middle school, Mari and Taylor had a plan: The best friends were going to be on the cross-country team at Jefferson High together.
But a lot has changed since then: Mari’s family moved to a different school district, Taylor covered up her dad’s kidney disease, driving a wedge between them—and the two girls started freshman year estranged and on competing teams. Three years later, when Mari’s single mother is forced to move the family, the two girls finally become teammates. Unfortunately, their complicated history means Mari and Taylor, who are both Black, are anything but friends again. Following an embarrassing public fight, their coach orders them to volunteer at a local animal rescue. While spending their Sundays together walking dogs, the girls finally begin communicating honestly with one another. By being vulnerable about their challenges—Mari’s mother leans on her to help with her younger siblings, Taylor feels pressure to live up to her star athlete father’s reputation, and his illness has taken a toll—they rediscover their friendship and build self-confidence. Told in the girls’ alternating voices, this heartfelt friends-to-rivals-to-lovers romance is a quick, entertaining read. It chronicles the girls’ intricate relationship while also addressing important familial and social themes. While at times Taylor’s and Mari’s voices are difficult to distinguish, and the subplot exploring socioeconomic differences doesn’t get as much development as it deserves, the complexities of the overall story more than carry the narrative.
A queer romance that really goes the distance. (Romance. 13-18)Pub Date: May 20, 2025
ISBN: 9780374389154
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: March 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
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
A delightfully autumnal small-town romance buoyed by strong characterization.
Ellis Mitchell has her whole life planned out.
Heading into senior year, Ellis plans to study hard and crush it at the journalism internship her media executive dad got her, paving the way for her acceptance to Columbia University. But then Ellis’ parents announce they’re separating—and that Ellis and her mom will be heading to Bramble Falls to stay with her aunt and cousin. Furious that her careful plans have been upended, Ellis struggles to settle into the small, charming Connecticut town even as everyone around her gears up for the annual Falling Leaves Festival. Ellis runs into Cooper Barnett—her long-ago summer friend from visits to Aunt Naomi and cousin Sloane—who’s grown up to be very handsome. But Cooper isn’t pleased to see Ellis; he’s cold and curt, and she has no idea why. Wilson’s YA debut is chock-full of charm. Readers will swoon at Cooper’s and Ellis’ developing feelings following their frosty reunion and sympathize with Ellis’ difficulties even as Bramble Falls grows on her. She must choose between small-town community ties and big-city ambitions—between what her dad wants for her and what she really wants. Ellis’ relationships with her mom, aunt, and cousin are lovely and aspirational. The depiction of Bramble Falls is evocative, and the book contains enough seasonal delights to satisfy even the most devoted pumpkin spice latte lover. Main characters are cued white.
A delightfully autumnal small-town romance buoyed by strong characterization. (Romance. 13-18)Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2025
ISBN: 9781665975209
Page Count: 352
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
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