A light, charming romance that’s as sweet and refreshing as ice cream on a hot day.
A soccer star broadens her horizons at summer camp when she starts crushing on a dancer in this queer romance.
Honey didn’t want to be a coach at a sports camp the summer before entering Stanford on a full-ride scholarship, but her family, believing she needed to focus on something other than her own training, made her go. The kids adore her, and she can still stay dedicated to her regimented practice routine. One night, after she’s convinced to loosen up and have fun by heading across the lake to party with the arts camp counselors, she meets—and is immediately smitten with—Teddi, a lithe, confident dancer from Australia who has dark brown skin. When Teddi’s dance partner is injured during a capture the flag game between the two camps, Honey steps in and offers to dance with Teddi for her important upcoming tango audition. Problem is, all Honey knows is soccer, so it’ll take a lot of practice. This adorable summer romance is sunshine-bright and filled with fun camp shenanigans and passionate dancing. Pale-skinned, orange-haired Honey, refreshingly depicted with a strong, curvaceous build, is endearingly flustered by her crush. Salo lightly touches on parental expectations but mostly focuses on the cute budding relationship. Kearney’s vivid, expressive art fills the pages and often bursts out of the panels’ frames, giving the story extra energy.
A light, charming romance that’s as sweet and refreshing as ice cream on a hot day. (Graphic romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2026
ISBN: 9781419775123
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Abrams Fanfare
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2026
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
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations.
Magic, mystery, and love intertwine and invite in this newest take on the “enchanted circus” trope.
Sisters raised by their abusive father, a governor of a colonial backwater in a world vaguely reminiscent of the late 18th century, Scarlett and Donatella each long for something more. Scarlett, olive-skinned, dark of hair and attitude, longs for Caraval, the fabled, magical circus helmed by the possibly evil Master Legend Santos, while blonde, sunny Tella finds comfort in drink and the embraces of various men. A slightly awkward start, with inconsistencies of attitude and setting, rapidly smooths out when they, along with handsome “golden-brown” sailor Julian, flee to Caraval on the eve of Scarlett’s arranged marriage. Tella disappears, and Scarlett must navigate a nighttime world of magic to find her. Caraval delights the senses: beautiful and scary, described in luscious prose, this is a show readers will wish they could enter. Dresses can be purchased for secrets or days of life; clocks can become doors; bridges move: this is an inventive and original circus, laced with an edge of horror. A double love story, one sensual romance and the other sisterly loyalty, anchors the plot, but the real star here is Caraval and its secrets.
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations. (Fantasy. 14 & up)Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-250-09525-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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