An endearing, lightly magical romantic comedy.
A Seattle teen who’s skeptical about romance receives letters from the future that try to change her mind.
After witnessing her parents’ marriage fall apart six years ago, 17-year-old Emma Nakamura-Thatcher, who’s white and Japanese American, has vowed to avoid heartbreak. She doesn’t take risks in love or in life, but at the Tanabata festival at the Japanese garden over the summer, she wishes that everlasting love were real. As her senior year begins, Emma starts receiving mysterious letters written by someone who says they’re from the future: “I’ve come back for you, Emma. And if you let me, I’m going to change your life.” This person promises to fulfill her wish, thus ensuring her happy future. As different boys enter her life, Emma tries to determine which one could be the letter writer, her guarantee of “love with none of the risk, none of the pain.” There’s cute, nerdy childhood best friend Theo Beckett, who’s always there for her; hot cello genius Ezra French, who’s her after-school music intensive mentor; and handsome rich kid Colin St. James, whose house she cleans. The boys and the letter writer push Emma out of her comfort zone, allowing her to fully experience life, love, and even heartbreak. This charming, funny, time-traveling romance weaves in themes of personal growth and shifting family relationships, rounding out Emma’s development. Many readers will relate to her frequent struggles with learning to live in the present.
An endearing, lightly magical romantic comedy. (Romance. 12-18)Pub Date: Feb. 3, 2026
ISBN: 9781665974370
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Sarah Barley Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2025
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
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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