Compelling characters presented through captivating, expressive illustrations.
Ice hockey dynamo Alix asks cool-under-pressure theater-loving Ezra for help with managing her temper, sparking an unlikely friendship and journeys of self-discovery.
Vancouver Island, British Columbia, teen Alix is struggling with Lindsay, the mean captain of her hockey team who verbally torments her in front of the other girls. Meanwhile, Ezra is recovering from a breakup with his boyfriend and fielding homophobic insults from a classmate. After physically lashing out at Lindsay, Alix approaches Ezra. He agrees to work with her, and their honesty and vulnerability allow them to confide in each other. The story thoughtfully explores identity, sexuality, and complex family dynamics: Ezra shares information about his sexual identity (“I’m attracted to lots of different people, not just guys”) and traumatic past with his father; Alix opens up about her romantic inexperience and complicated relationships with her mom and absent father. Alix and Ezra read as real, complex, interesting, unique teenagers, and their romance unfolds naturally and believably. Amid the sparse grayscale illustrations, Hicks makes stunning, purposeful use of touches of light blue, carefully highlighting details like Ezra’s hair and Alix’s hockey uniform. The visuals are crucial to readers’ understanding of the story, offering powerful images full of tension and nuance. The ending feels a bit abrupt, but readers will forgive that thanks to the overall incredible storytelling and character building. The main characters appear white; there is racial diversity in the supporting cast.
Compelling characters presented through captivating, expressive illustrations. (bonus art) (Graphic romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2023
ISBN: 9781250838728
Page Count: 304
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2023
A light and entertaining plot-driven romance.
A Connecticut girl and her best friend devise a series of plans in order to achieve their goals: following a dream and winning back an ex.
Eighteen-year-old Audrey Barbour has a Master Plan: attend Blue Ridge Glass School in North Carolina and someday turn her Etsy shop, Golightly Glass, into a thriving business. But her uber-wealthy parents insist that she instead follow in their footsteps and go to business school. So Audrey decides to go find the tuition money she needs with help from her best friend, Henry Chen. Henry needs a favor, too: He hopes that fake dating Audrey will help him win back his ex-girlfriend, and he points out to a reluctant Audrey that this could make her crush, Griffin, notice her. While Audrey’s parents vacation in France for three weeks, the pair rent out the Barbour mansion on the Long Island Sound. Soon romantic chemistry grows alongside their business partnership. Despite the pair’s great preparation and an abundance of secondary characters with connections and talents to help pull off their increasingly ambitious ideas, plans go awry, leaving Audrey and Henry scrambling and second-guessing their choices. The pacing is even, but the characters often take a back seat to the whirlwind of activity that drives the plot, with the emphasis falling on each person’s practical skills and their role in keeping the action moving over their emotional bonds. Audrey is white, and Henry’s surname cues him as Chinese American.
A light and entertaining plot-driven romance. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: March 31, 2026
ISBN: 9780593904794
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Delacorte Romance
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A character-focused entry that will satisfy fans.
Romantic complications between a trained killer and one of her captors drive this sequel to Watch Me (2025).
Appealing to readers who prefer their romantic dramas to be light on action and heavy on long passages of banter, bitter sibling arguments, and tortured reflections, Mafi continues the tale of Rosabelle Wolff, the flaxen-haired assassin from the dystopic Reestablishment, and magnetic, “impossibly stunning” James Anderson, her nemesis-turned-lover who’s still trying to take down the regime. Now desperate to accomplish several secret missions, Rosa easily escapes from one of The New Republic’s prisons, where she was left in the series opener, and, dressed in “a little kid’s cat onesie,” eludes all pursuers except for James, who can seemingly find her at will. Enigmatic Rosa responds unpredictably to many human contacts—including with violence, temporary death (one of her abilities), or a sudden panic attack. Along with the central pair of rivals and lovers, James’ older brother, Aaron, shares the narration. Bestseller Mafi tucks in several subplots, including, notably, a cameo from Juliette Ferrars, the protagonist of the original Shatter Me series, who’s undergoing a scarily difficult pregnancy. Amid the slowly simmering rising action, the author delivers a revelation and a twist that set up a potential series climax. Some ethnic diversity is present in the supporting cast.
A character-focused entry that will satisfy fans. (Dystopian. 14-adult)Pub Date: April 7, 2026
ISBN: 9780063419056
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Storytide/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: April 7, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2026
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