An achingly realistic portrait of abuse and addiction.
After the death of her grandmother, Andrea fights to survive a violent life with her addict mother.
Sixteen-year-old Andrea lives quietly with her grandmother, putting all her energy into academic achievement. If she can get a full scholarship to college, she can escape the shadow of her estranged, drug-addicted mother, Ayla. But when Gram suddenly passes away, Ayla resurfaces to claim custody. Andrea, a pretty, white girl whose light blue eyes are the envy of her peers, gets used to Ayla partying all night, spending all their money, and taking financial advantage of men. When they’re evicted, a white man named Judd lets them move in on the condition that Andrea earns her keep helping with household chores and his drug-running business. The slightest misstep leads to physical punishment. Andrea tries to keep her head down and focus on school, but she stumbles into new friendships that put her and those she cares about at risk. She can’t let anyone get close now; all she can do is try to survive—and she will do anything to survive. Andrea’s constant abuse is heartbreaking, and her complicated relationship with Ayla is well-wrought. Though her struggles are hard to read about, Andrea is both flawed and fierce enough to pull readers through them with her.
An achingly realistic portrait of abuse and addiction. (Fiction. 14-adult)Pub Date: April 3, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-939547-48-4
Page Count: 344
Publisher: Creston
Review Posted Online: Feb. 4, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2018
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
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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