A dazzling, emotional story of love, loss, and living in the moment.
A teen girl gets to live the best week of her life, but something feels wrong.
Tegan Rossi wakes up in the secret-hideout lava tube of her childhood vacations on the Big Island of Hawaii. She doesn’t remember how she got there, why she’s there, or really anything since graduating high school a few weeks prior. When she finds Kai Kapule, the childhood friend from Hawaii she’s kept in touch with, she concludes she must have come to surprise him. Tegan gets caught up in paradise with Kai, letting herself give in to the moment. But things aren’t quite right: Nightmares haunt her sleep, her scar from an old sports injury is gone, no one can reach her parents, and she’s got an unexplainable hourglass tattoo. This debut novel is captivating and moving. Most of the story is told from Tegan’s present-day point of view, with her memories and messages from Kai woven in. The nightmare she has keeps building on itself, revealing more of her lost memories, creating anticipation and suspense. There is hope in second chances, mixed with first love and the fear, heartache, and joy of living. Some of the best experiences Hawaii has to offer are highlighted, including shave ice, waterfalls, snorkeling, and malasadas. Kai’s name cues him as Hawaiian; Tegan is implied white.
A dazzling, emotional story of love, loss, and living in the moment. (Fantasy romance. 14-18)Pub Date: April 21, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-951710-11-8
Page Count: 303
Publisher: Month9Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 25, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020
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 worthy second-chance romance.
In this follow-up to 2021’s Better Than the Movies, a 20-year-old college freshman gets a second chance at his dreams.
After the death of his father and his mother’s subsequent physical and emotional disappearance, Wes Bennett left behind all of his plans and the girl he made them with to go home and take care of Sarah, his younger sister. But now, Sarah has graduated, his mom is back on her feet, and by some miracle, Wes has an offer to pitch for UCLA’s baseball team. Liz Buxbaum, the girl he’s always loved, works for the university’s athletic department, taking photos and video of the team for social media, which means that maybe he can have a second chance at love, too. But since Wes left, Liz has made every effort to protect herself from ever feeling that broken again; there’s no room for love, because she doesn’t believe in it anymore. Or she doesn’t want to. This second-chance sports romance includes fake dates, quippy and quirky best friends, real heartache, and the sweet ache of first love. The clever dialogue keeps readers from drowning in the main characters’ emotional push-and-pull. Reading the first novel isn’t necessary for appreciating this one, although knowing the full history between Wes and Liz will only add to the ache and longing readers feel from and for them. Main characters are cued white.
A worthy second-chance romance. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781665947138
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
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