by C.L. Gaber ; V.C. Stanley ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 18, 2014
A dud.
A police detective’s daughter spends a summer solving a crime.
The moment Jex arrives at her estranged father’s house, the plot becomes far too convenient. Three teen girls, fascinated by rumors that Detective Malone has a daughter (the detective’s level of awe-inspiring celebrity never feels particularly believable), invite themselves into Jex’s father’s house. By the end of the afternoon, Jex and the others have declared themselves friends, formed a secret detective agency and reopened the high-profile unsolved case of local teen Patty Matthews’ disappearance 13 years earlier. Almost immediately, the girls discover Patty’s private journal, which, despite an extensive police investigation, had not previously been found. No element of the story works any better than its hard-to-swallow plot. Jex’s narrative wisecracking is occasionally clever (“The girl is a walking punctuation mark”) but just as often clunky and unfunny. The girls have little beyond one defining characteristic each; Jex’s relationship with her dad changes from hostile to heartfelt with very little impetus, and the mystery’s resolution is simplistic. The “famous girl detective quotes” that begin each chapter serve as an upbeat reminder of women sleuth role models, but their content is often quotidian and only tenuously related to the chapter that follows.
A dud. (Mystery. 12-18)Pub Date: June 18, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4405-7051-3
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Merit Press
Review Posted Online: April 29, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2014
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by Laura Nowlin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 6, 2024
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
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by Laura Nowlin ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2013
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
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