Romance and fame, plus exasperating immaturity for those who like that sort of thing.
This sequel to Escaping Perfect (2016) finds Cecilia battling her own selfish tendencies even as she accuses everyone else of the same.
Cecilia is mixed-race, with a black dad and a white mom, but this plays little part in the story. Her powerful U.S. senator mother has decided to run for president and needs to keep up appearances. Her mom is authoritative and manipulative, but impulsive Cecilia constantly gets herself into trouble anyway. Cecilia’s white boyfriend, Jasper, is a rising country singer who attracts female fans, triggering jealousy. She agrees to go to parties whenever one of her friends suggests it, always becoming seriously drunk and getting caught on camera doing embarrassing things. As these photos and videos inevitably make the news, Cecilia becomes famous in her own right. Nevertheless, no matter how many times she screws up, Cecilia continues to party and lash out at her friends, her mother, and Jasper, even though he remains devoted to her. Cecilia appears to be on a path to nowhere when she finally has an epiphany and thereupon becomes strong, supertalented, and instantly mature. Harrison’s plot resolution, then, simply involves changing Cecilia’s character overnight. Her historical research fails, as she appears to believe that photography was common in 1815.
Romance and fame, plus exasperating immaturity for those who like that sort of thing. (Romance. 12-18)Pub Date: March 28, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4814-4215-2
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Dec. 20, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK TO SCREEN
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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