A sweet summer romance that hits all the right beats.
Dirty Dancing, hip-hop style.
Katherine Woods isn’t pleased that her parents are dragging the family from the Bay Area to a camp in Southern California. She tried claiming that she needed to spend the summer before senior year working on college applications, but her parents insisted that she and her sister can enjoy their independence and have “family togetherness” in “a glamping kind of situation.” Trying to escape the bonding, Katherine wanders off and stumbles on a staff barn party, where she spots attractive Jordan Lawrence, one of the dance instructors, and becomes intrigued by hip-hop. After years of loving and excelling at ballet, Katherine developed curves, which drew criticism from a new teacher and rejection by fellow dancers, making her quit and swear off dancing completely. But when Jordan needs a partner for a Juneteenth event in Los Angeles that could earn him a much-needed college dance scholarship, Katherine finds herself breaking all her rules to help out. In her YA debut, bestselling romance author Guillory continues to center Black voices and celebrate Black love. She weaves a tapestry of romantic hurdles, ranging from the strict prohibition against fraternization between staff and campers to Katherine’s deep-seated emotional scars that extend far beyond a callous dance teacher. The inclusion of a prejudiced camp director’s unfair labor practices and a local protest against a drag queen storytime add inclusive modern elements.
A sweet summer romance that hits all the right beats. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2026
ISBN: 9781338749434
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2026
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
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations.
Magic, mystery, and love intertwine and invite in this newest take on the “enchanted circus” trope.
Sisters raised by their abusive father, a governor of a colonial backwater in a world vaguely reminiscent of the late 18th century, Scarlett and Donatella each long for something more. Scarlett, olive-skinned, dark of hair and attitude, longs for Caraval, the fabled, magical circus helmed by the possibly evil Master Legend Santos, while blonde, sunny Tella finds comfort in drink and the embraces of various men. A slightly awkward start, with inconsistencies of attitude and setting, rapidly smooths out when they, along with handsome “golden-brown” sailor Julian, flee to Caraval on the eve of Scarlett’s arranged marriage. Tella disappears, and Scarlett must navigate a nighttime world of magic to find her. Caraval delights the senses: beautiful and scary, described in luscious prose, this is a show readers will wish they could enter. Dresses can be purchased for secrets or days of life; clocks can become doors; bridges move: this is an inventive and original circus, laced with an edge of horror. A double love story, one sensual romance and the other sisterly loyalty, anchors the plot, but the real star here is Caraval and its secrets.
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations. (Fantasy. 14 & up)Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-250-09525-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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