A good emotional wallow.
A girl survives a crash that killed her dear friend but must live with the emotional and physical scars.
Four lifelong friends: Trent and Sadie were in one car; Gray and Gina were in the other. The collision killed Trent but sent Sadie flying through the windshield, leaving her with permanent scars on her face, arms, and legs. She names some of her scars (the one on her face is Idaho), and she hides inside and wears long-sleeve shirts and long pants even in the Florida heat. Someone is sending her envelopes with sentences that Sadie has privately kept for years in a stuffed animal. Who is doing something so intrusive? She has established an email friendship—possibly even a romance—with Trent’s younger brother, Max, who’s been away in El Salvador, but now he’s coming home. And Gray, Sadie’s former boyfriend, and Gina, who was cheating with Gray, want to re-enter Sadie’s life. When Max returns and the other teens come together again, their complex relationships begin to resolve. Stevens keeps the focus on Sadie’s turbulent emotions in this heartfelt examination of the consequences of disfigurement. Sadie just doesn’t believe anyone can truly love her again, even though she has the support of her parents, a good psychologist, and her friends. If anything, the author portrays Sadie’s friends and family as almost too good to be true.
A good emotional wallow. (Fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Nov. 13, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-06-224541-0
Page Count: 336
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: Aug. 25, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
A treat for mystery readers who enjoy being kept in suspense.
Everyone believes that Salil Singh killed his girlfriend, Andrea Bell, five years ago—except Pippa Fitz-Amobi.
Pip has known and liked Sal since childhood; he’d supported her when she was being bullied in middle school. For her senior capstone project, Pip researches the disappearance of former Fairview High student Andie, last seen on April 18, 2014, by her younger sister, Becca. The original investigation concluded with most of the evidence pointing to Sal, who was found dead in the woods, apparently by suicide. Andie’s body was never recovered, and Sal was assumed by most to be guilty of abduction and murder. Unable to ignore the gaps in the case, Pip sets out to prove Sal’s innocence, beginning with interviewing his younger brother, Ravi. With his help, Pip digs deeper, unveiling unsavory facts about Andie and the real reason Sal’s friends couldn’t provide him with an alibi. But someone is watching, and Pip may be in more danger than she realizes. Pip’s sleuthing is both impressive and accessible. Online articles about the case and interview transcripts are provided throughout, and Pip’s capstone logs offer insights into her thought processes as new evidence and suspects arise. Jackson’s debut is well-executed and surprises readers with a connective web of interesting characters and motives. Pip and Andie are white, and Sal is of Indian descent.
A treat for mystery readers who enjoy being kept in suspense. (Mystery. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-9636-0
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2019
Exactly what the title promises.
A grieving teen’s devotion to romance films might ruin her chances at actual romance.
Liz Buxbaum has always adored rom-coms, not least for helping her still feel close to her screenwriter mother, who died when she was little. Liz hopes that her senior year might turn into a real-life romantic fantasy, as an old crush has moved back to town, cuter and nicer than ever. Surely she can get Michael to ask her to prom. If only Wes, the annoying boy next door, would help her with her scheming! This charming, fluffy concoction manages to pack into one goofy plot every conceivable trope, from fake dating to the makeover to the big misunderstanding. Creative, quirky, daydreaming Liz is just shy of an annoying stereotype, saved by a dry wit and unresolved grief and anger. Wes makes for a delightful bad boy with a good heart, and supporting characters—including a sassy best friend, a perfect popular rival, even a (not really) evil stepmother—all get the opportunity to transcend their roles. The only villain here is Liz’s lovelorn imagination, provoking her into foolish lies that cause actual hurt feelings; but she is sufficiently self-aware to make amends just in time for the most important trope of all: a blissfully happy ending. All characters seem to be White by default.
Exactly what the title promises. (Romance. 12-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-6762-0
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
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