A fast-paced thriller that will have readers questioning what’s real.
A teenage girl whose mother struggles with mental illness navigates a new school, new friendships, and a crime she may have committed.
Seventeen-year-old Lennox Oliver, the new girl in her San Jose, California, high school, is finally fitting in and finding friends after having lived in many different places with her traveling ER nurse father. It’s been the two of them since she was 9, ever since her mother was admitted to a mental hospital for treatment for her schizophrenia. One night, while Lennox is driving with friends, she hits someone—she clearly sees the frightened girl in her headlights before feeling a thump. But while there’s a dent in the car, there’s no body. In the days following, Lennox feels like she’s unraveling, and she worries that she’s succumbing to schizophrenia too. Jayne paints a picture of a teen whose life feels almost perfect—with nice friends, a boyfriend, a great school—except for the possibility that she’s a murderer looming over her. This story, told with plenty of flashbacks, visions, red herrings, and snappy dialogue, draws readers into a twisted tale exploring questions of conscience and belonging. Anxiety inducing and full of twists and turns yet realistic and relatable, it will keep readers on the edges of their seats. Characters are cued White.
A fast-paced thriller that will have readers questioning what’s real. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Aug. 29, 2023
ISBN: 9781728262918
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2023
An inspiring, powerful tale of belonging.
The follow-up to Lobizona (2020) sees its protagonist’s fight for equality and acceptance reach new heights.
After the events of the first book, Manu and her friends flee their magical school and are on the run to avoid the Cazadores who aim to capture anyone who doesn’t conform to the stringent gender binary laws of their world. Manu, as the first ever known female werewolf and a Septimus/human hybrid to boot, could lose her life if she’s discovered. Illegal in both worlds, Manu’s only chance is to find the Coven, a legendary underground movement of outcasts who she hopes will welcome them with open arms. Once she meets the people of the Coven, Manu encounters a world full of Septimus who are willing to risk anything for change. But how far is Manu willing to go? In this effervescent sequel full of magic and beautiful imagery, Manu learns to reclaim her own narrative and, together with her lovable found family, including misfits Saysa and Cata as well as boyfriend Tiago, stake out a place in the world where she belongs. Refreshingly, Manu and her friends are not presented as uniquely positioned to change the world: They join a multigenerational, ongoing fight against oppression that aims to give voice to the nonconforming voiceless. All characters are Argentine, with a variety of skin tones, gender identities, and sexualities.
An inspiring, powerful tale of belonging. (Paranormal. 14-18)Pub Date: Aug. 17, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-23915-0
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
Regardless, readers will likely be so swept up in the romance they can read past any flaws.
An ultimately compelling exploration of teenage growth and young love.
With her idolized sister Margot leaving for college, Lara Jean doesn’t feel ready for the coming changes: becoming more responsible for their younger sister, Kitty, helping their widowed father, or seeing Margot break up with Josh, the boy next door—whom Lara Jean secretly liked first. But there’s even greater upheaval to come, when Lara Jean’s five secret letters to the boys she’s loved are mailed to them by accident. Lara Jean runs when sweet, dependable Josh tries to talk to her about her letter. And when Peter Kavinsky gets his letter, it brings him back into Lara Jean’s life, all handsome, charming, layered and complicated. They start a fake relationship to help Lara Jean deal with Josh and Peter to get over his ex. But maybe Lara Jean and Peter will discover there’s something more between them as they learn about themselves and each other. It’s difficult to see this book as a love triangle—Josh is bland as oatmeal, and Peter is utterly charismatic. Meanwhile, readers may find that Lara Jean sometimes seems too naïve and rather young for 16—though in many ways, this makes her feel more realistic than many of the world-weary teens that populate the shelves.
Regardless, readers will likely be so swept up in the romance they can read past any flaws. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: April 2, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4424-2670-2
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 4, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2014
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