Izzy, a nice 15-year-old in the best sense of that overused word, restructures her life after losing a leg in an automobile accident. There's nothing like trauma for sorting out true friends. Izzy's happy pre-accident world turns out to have been largely surface: the date whose drunken spree caused the accident never bothers to apologize; her best friends pay perfunctory visits but are obviously preoccupied with their own activities; her younger sister is jealous of the attention she's getting; even her parents, who at first seem ideally loving, supportive, and equipped with a good sense of humor, are so in the habit of concealing emotion and teaching their children to keep a stiff upper lip that they fail to realize Izzy's grief. Fortunately, help comes from a new friend: tactless, ebullient Rosamunde, who is bright and caring enough to imagine not only Izzy's physical struggles but her hidden emotions, and persistent enough to make friends. Voigt has a gift for writing books that are impossible to put down, not because of breathtaking plots but because her characters so involve the reader in their inner lives. This is a penetrating look at some real people. Izzy is a winner.
Pub Date: April 1, 1986
ISBN: 1416903402
Page Count: 344
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1986
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
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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