Luminously messy, fun, and awkward, just like adolescence itself.
Amman continues to explore the emotions and tensions involved in growing up female in a patriarchal society in this second book of a series.
Picking up where An Italian Adventure (2026)left off, this installment charts the dreaded onset of middle school for Leda Balni in 1989, but the 11-year-old clings to hope. Though the strict teachers and the breakup of her friend group “[suck] balls,” at least frenemy and sometime crush Nico Salisi is in section A with her. But in this hothouse of raging hormones, Nico denigrates the confused Leda as a “nun.” Eschewing romance, she hangs out with an entertaining new pal named Sonia while trying to navigate unpleasant changes that only happen to girls, like menstruation and boob-growing pains. Acting as boy-crazy Sonia’s “wingperson,” Leda meets the Gang during summer vacation. Despite misgivings about dating, Leda notices Gang member Gio and his “sculpted Baywatch body.” Like Leda, he enjoys reading and using big words, but he’s also older: 16 going on 17. Leda distracts herself from love (and the fear of moving to Milan) with Italy’s World Cup and summer camp. But at camp, she finds that, actually, “kissing [is] the shit,” and life becomes even more mystifying. Amman captures a formative slice of young life in all its ecstatic joy and horror, using vivid language, a comedic tone, and memorable characters. Narrator Leda embodies youth’s uneven, outsized emotional terrain, veering from “liquid, red, and hot” embarrassment to a goose bump–inducing feeling of unity while scream-singing with others to the World Cup theme music. Yet unlike Laura the Gorgeous or Sonia, both of whom accept their developing bodies and serial crushes, Leda observes her friends’ behavior “like an ornithologist during mating season.” Amman travels into the boys’ minds, too, as well as making peripheral adults interesting: like unlucky-in-love but smart mom Starry and simpering Cleopatra, an easily duped teacher. Male-centered Italy looms large in this book; for example, Italian TV objectifies women, with a trickle-down effect on the kids. Yet rural Arese, with its swimming pool, hide-and-seek-friendly parking lot, and numerous trees, is like one big playground, delighting the still-childish and untamable Leda.
Luminously messy, fun, and awkward, just like adolescence itself.Pub Date: May 5, 2026
ISBN: 9781971429014
Page Count: 234
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A high-concept premise that falls short in its execution.
A teenage girl finds herself alone after everyone else in her town mysteriously disappears, leaving her scrambling to figure out how to find them all.
One late summer day, everybody in July Fielding’s town disappears. She is left to piece together what happened, following a series of cryptic signs she finds around town urging her to “GET THEM BACK.” The narrative moves back and forth between July’s present and the events of the summer before, when her relationship with her best friend, cross-country team co-captain Sydney, starts to fracture due to a combination of jealousy over July’s new relationship with a cute boy called Sam and sweet up-and-coming freshman Ella’s threatening to overtake Syd’s status as star of the track team. The team members participate in a ritual in which they jump off a cliff into the rocky waters below at the end of their Friday practice runs. Though Ella is reluctant, Syd pressures her to jump. Short, frenetically paced sections move the story along quickly, and there is much foreshadowing pointing to something terrible that occurred at the end of that summer, which may be the key to July’s current predicament, but there is much misdirection too. Ultimately this is a story without enough setup to make the turn the book takes in the end feel fully developed or earned. All characters read white.
A high-concept premise that falls short in its execution. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2023
ISBN: 9780593327173
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023
A great read offering entertainment, encouragement, and plenty to reflect upon.
A gay teen contends with time travel—and homophobia through the decades.
All Cuban American Luis wants is to be prom king with his boyfriend, but tiny upstate New York boarding school Antic Springs Academy, with its strict, Christian code of conduct, won’t even let them hold hands in public. After a disastrous prom committee meeting at which his attempt to make the event welcoming of queer couples is rejected by the principal, Luis gets quite literally knocked into the past—specifically, ASA in the year 1985. There he meets Chaz, a Black student who attended the school at the same time as Luis’ parents and who died under mysterious circumstances after being bullied for his sexuality. Luis now faces a choice between changing the past to help Chaz and preserving his own future existence. Fortunately, he has Ms. Silverthorn, a Black English teacher and beloved mentor, who offers him support in both timelines. The narrative explores the impacts of homophobia and being closeted, remaining optimistic without shying away from the more brutal aspects. Luis is a multifaceted character with an engaging voice whose flaws are confronted and examined throughout. The solid pacing and pleasant, fluid prose make this a page-turner. Luis’ boyfriend is cued as Chinese American, and his best friend is nonbinary; there is some diversity in ethnicity and sexuality in background characters, although the school is predominantly White.
A great read offering entertainment, encouragement, and plenty to reflect upon. (author's note) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 4, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0710-5
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
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