A spirited ending worthy of an encore.
The fourth and final Huda F story follows the Egyptian American teen as she’s looking for love.
Over the summer before college, Huda feels ready to tackle the last item on her checklist. Between a summer class on Jane Austen and upcoming wedding season, Huda is seeking romance the halal way. She hopes to charm the aunties into introducing her to their eligible bachelor sons. She also develops a crush on an intriguing classmate and is swept up in planning the Muslim Student Association’s masquerade ball. She meets other passionate hijabis, plus one motorcycle-riding niqabi, who prove to be a good sounding board for her creeping self-doubt. She struggles with having to change herself to appeal to judgy aunties’ standards. Just as her love life starts to look up, red flags tangle up her hopes, dreams, and fears. With her supportive mother, sisters, and girl squad, Huda begins to parse her discomfort and learns to love and accept herself. Fahmy excels at treating serious topics with a light comedic touch. She honestly explores dilemmas like never talking to boys, being expected to secure a husband, and perceiving gaslighting, backhanded compliments, and toxic masculinity for what they are. This heady celebration of Jane Austen, Muslim culture, and strong Muslim women role models is empowering and heartwarming. The colorful, cartoon-style illustrations with simple, cleanly drawn faces accentuate the characters’ emotions and keep readers engaged.
A spirited ending worthy of an encore. (relationship red flags) (Graphic fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Oct. 20, 2026
ISBN: 9780593855669
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2026
Exactly what the title promises.
A grieving teen’s devotion to romance films might ruin her chances at actual romance.
Liz Buxbaum has always adored rom-coms, not least for helping her still feel close to her screenwriter mother, who died when she was little. Liz hopes that her senior year might turn into a real-life romantic fantasy, as an old crush has moved back to town, cuter and nicer than ever. Surely she can get Michael to ask her to prom. If only Wes, the annoying boy next door, would help her with her scheming! This charming, fluffy concoction manages to pack into one goofy plot every conceivable trope, from fake dating to the makeover to the big misunderstanding. Creative, quirky, daydreaming Liz is just shy of an annoying stereotype, saved by a dry wit and unresolved grief and anger. Wes makes for a delightful bad boy with a good heart, and supporting characters—including a sassy best friend, a perfect popular rival, even a (not really) evil stepmother—all get the opportunity to transcend their roles. The only villain here is Liz’s lovelorn imagination, provoking her into foolish lies that cause actual hurt feelings; but she is sufficiently self-aware to make amends just in time for the most important trope of all: a blissfully happy ending. All characters seem to be White by default.
Exactly what the title promises. (Romance. 12-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-6762-0
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK TO SCREEN
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
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