A modernized homage to vintage horrors that would have benefited from greater emotional depth.
A new drug craze promising perfection has dangerous consequences, even for those who abstain.
Rather than party and discover a similar penchant for “fun” as the biological mother who abandoned her, Kyra Cartwright determinedly sticks to the straight and narrow. The trauma of her mother’s addiction has left Kyra with a distaste for her peers’ drug- and alcohol-fueled lifestyle, and she struggles to control the creeping tendrils of her “anxiety ivy.” Lately, Kyra’s adoptive brother, Gabe, who’s normally chaotic and unserious, has been a different and unsettling version of himself. When her edgy, offbeat best friend, Halley, suddenly becomes invested in hanging with the in crowd, Kyra knows something is seriously wrong. The influence and power of local pharmaceutical company BoTanic, the school’s corporate sponsor, is showing up everywhere, leaving only Kyra and new student Logan Kidman, who’s equally unimpressed by everyone’s shiny new selves, to resist the pressure to be perfect and solve the mystery of what’s going on. Inspired by a variety of classic horror and science-fiction books and movies, Chapman’s young readers’ debut offers satisfyingly gruesome body horror alongside pointed social commentary. However, Kyra’s voice doesn’t come across like that of an authentic teen girl, and her portrayal feels derivative. The thin characterization makes this work feel out of step with the believably drawn teens typically found in YA. Main characters read white.
A modernized homage to vintage horrors that would have benefited from greater emotional depth. (Horror. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2025
ISBN: 9780593904084
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: yesterday
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2025
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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