Young love’s twisted roots will leave readers in suspense.
What would you sacrifice for true love—and can you force others to make that sacrifice for you?
When rising senior Rose Pauly is forced to move from New York City to small-town Connecticut following her parents’ divorce, she feels out of place. But a chance meeting on her first night in town leads her to “her first love, her biggest enemy, and her best friend.” When Rose meets Hart Hargrove, it’s love, or at least lust, at first sight and their romance is a whirlwind. Heather, Hart’s sister, is less enthusiastic about the match and tries to warn Rose away. Though the pair, who present white, are head over heels, Hart harbors secrets about himself and his family’s seemingly magical garden, one that can make all your wishes come true—but at a price. The main action is interrupted periodically for vignettes. Are these glimpses of the future? Daydreams? Flashbacks? Clues hint at a darker timeline, but the truth, which astute readers may begin to harbor inklings of, isn’t fully revealed until the climax. Hart’s possessiveness of Rose demands that readers grapple with whether he truly loves her or she’s merely the object of his obsession, and if her affection for him is even her choice. The story ends on a satisfactory cliffhanger, leaving the lingering question of what price one should pay for love.
Young love’s twisted roots will leave readers in suspense. (Horror. 14-18)Pub Date: May 13, 2025
ISBN: 9781250863324
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: March 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 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
A worthy second-chance romance.
In this follow-up to 2021’s Better Than the Movies, a 20-year-old college freshman gets a second chance at his dreams.
After the death of his father and his mother’s subsequent physical and emotional disappearance, Wes Bennett left behind all of his plans and the girl he made them with to go home and take care of Sarah, his younger sister. But now, Sarah has graduated, his mom is back on her feet, and by some miracle, Wes has an offer to pitch for UCLA’s baseball team. Liz Buxbaum, the girl he’s always loved, works for the university’s athletic department, taking photos and video of the team for social media, which means that maybe he can have a second chance at love, too. But since Wes left, Liz has made every effort to protect herself from ever feeling that broken again; there’s no room for love, because she doesn’t believe in it anymore. Or she doesn’t want to. This second-chance sports romance includes fake dates, quippy and quirky best friends, real heartache, and the sweet ache of first love. The clever dialogue keeps readers from drowning in the main characters’ emotional push-and-pull. Reading the first novel isn’t necessary for appreciating this one, although knowing the full history between Wes and Liz will only add to the ache and longing readers feel from and for them. Main characters are cued white.
A worthy second-chance romance. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781665947138
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
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