An unflinching, devastating, and compelling portrayal of life after insurmountable loss.
Hannah and Mae Winters’ comfortable lives plunge into chaos in the aftermath of the tsunami in Malaysia that kills their parents while they are on vacation.
As high school seniors the sisters are forced to start their lives over in Boston with their maternal Aunt Nora, leaving behind their life in LA. A recovering addict, Hannah finds herself succumbing to pills while Mae, who is adopted, struggles to come to terms with not knowing her ethnic heritage in a family where their maternal Greek heritage is a critical part of their identity. After moving to Boston, Hannah finds comfort in classmate Drew Nolan while Mae meets MIT student Ben Tamura, who shares her passion for science. The story is narrated from the perspectives of both Hannah and Mae. Demetrios (Bad Romance, 2018, etc.) immerses the reader in Mae's and Hannah’s worlds with aplomb and clarity, astutely capturing the precariousness of addiction and the spiral journey of recovery. Heavy themes—abortion, mental health, and more—are handled with care and candor. Readers will find themselves pulled into the world of each sister and her grief, witnessing the gutting effects of addiction and depression. Demetrios has struck a fine balance between science and New Age faith, hopelessness and hope, in her respectful portrayal of the sisters' differences. Most major characters are white; Ben is Japanese American.
An unflinching, devastating, and compelling portrayal of life after insurmountable loss. (Fiction. 16-adult)Pub Date: April 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-22279-4
Page Count: 480
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: Jan. 24, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2020
A well-rounded, much-needed portrait of a boy with self-image issues and a narrow mindset who expands his viewpoint and...
Searching for the mother he knew nothing about changes a young man’s life.
Patrick Walsh’s nickname “Pack” was originally a nasty insult given to him when he was overweight. But after years of hardcore CrossFit and a rigid adherence to the paleo diet, the white 18-year-old is in great shape and looking forward to a summer spent with his girlfriend, Maddie, who is also white. Pack thinks they’re going to be together forever, even with Maddie going to University of Massachusetts in the fall while Pack stays home with his cop father. A few days before graduation, Pack receives a letter from his mother—a woman he believed was dead. As he slowly works to solve this mystery, Pack discovers that the plans he’s made aren’t necessarily the only right ones for him: Maybe one bite of cake won’t make him fat again; maybe he’s cut out for college after all; maybe he won’t be with Maddie forever. Pack’s slow maturation is handled well, albeit with stilted exposition. The crime element of the story is underdeveloped, and the resolution that explains his mother’s absence is clunky. These shortcomings are easily forgiven, however, given the novel’s strong character development.
A well-rounded, much-needed portrait of a boy with self-image issues and a narrow mindset who expands his viewpoint and prepares for an uncertain future. (Mystery. 16-18)Pub Date: May 29, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-268023-5
Page Count: 320
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: Feb. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Patient readers might find a minor reward.
A girl whose eyes have always been on her future is forced to look at herself.
It’s the early 1990s in an apparently predominantly white small town—exactly where is not specified, but some readers will begin to realize it’s probably in the Canadian Maritimes. Scorning her first name, Frances, George is the girl who will say anything—but not everything, as her best friend, Lisa, says. With her Mountie father on medical leave and changes percolating within her group of friends, George wants to get out of the valley and go to school in the city. But then she meets Francis, a guy who sparks feelings George isn’t able to ignore. But Francis is a cop like her dad—and a dozen years older than George. Their romance can never be anything but a secret, and it makes George pull back from her friends and lie to everyone. When tragedy strikes, George realizes how lost she’s let herself become and struggles to find a way to carry on. While the physical setting is meticulously described (and George’s desire to leave it emphasized), its lack of specificity leaves readers unanchored, with the result that neither it nor the early-’90s historical period feels organic to the story. Narrating from the future, George and her hard, coldblooded nature take time to warm up to, and the meandering pace of the novel doesn’t help. But the writing is evocative and literary, and readers who persist may find that’s enough.
Patient readers might find a minor reward. (Historical fiction. 16-18)Pub Date: March 20, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-247317-2
Page Count: 368
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2018
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
