A short, overstuffed novel about love, loss, and the unknown.
Just before graduation, former friends reconnect over disappointment, grief, and secrets.
Valedictorian Nellie Samsin has a five-year plan that takes her all the way to grad school for astrophysics. Nothing’s going to stop her—until she begins to spiral following a disappointing first kiss and a devastating family event. The only thing that makes sense is Jensen Nichols’ re-entry into her life. Unable to penetrate her mother’s cold walls and angry with and disconnected from her unsupportive best friend, Nellie begins spending time with Jensen, a childhood friend who’s liked by everyone, and she starts seeing him in an entirely new light. Jensen has always wanted to be with Nellie, and now, if he’s brave enough, he might be able to. But her world has just changed irrevocably, and he still has a secret that he doesn’t know how to share. If there’s one thing they’ve both learned, though, it’s that no one can totally prepare for the future. This sweet if somewhat convoluted story shows teens navigating deep love and deep heartache. The main characters, who are cued white, are well developed, but the complications from external relationships feel superfluous at times. Larsen explores numerous serious themes but doesn’t provide enough room to delve into each sufficiently; this lack of depth, combined with the lack of closure around several storylines, leads to some emotional whiplash and a feeling of dissatisfaction for readers.
A short, overstuffed novel about love, loss, and the unknown. (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: July 2, 2024
ISBN: 9781639932450
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
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
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
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