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
PROFILES
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
A worthy second-chance romance.
In this follow-up to 2021’s Better Than the Movies, a 20-year-old college freshman gets a second chance at his dreams.
After the death of his father and his mother’s subsequent physical and emotional disappearance, Wes Bennett left behind all of his plans and the girl he made them with to go home and take care of Sarah, his younger sister. But now, Sarah has graduated, his mom is back on her feet, and by some miracle, Wes has an offer to pitch for UCLA’s baseball team. Liz Buxbaum, the girl he’s always loved, works for the university’s athletic department, taking photos and video of the team for social media, which means that maybe he can have a second chance at love, too. But since Wes left, Liz has made every effort to protect herself from ever feeling that broken again; there’s no room for love, because she doesn’t believe in it anymore. Or she doesn’t want to. This second-chance sports romance includes fake dates, quippy and quirky best friends, real heartache, and the sweet ache of first love. The clever dialogue keeps readers from drowning in the main characters’ emotional push-and-pull. Reading the first novel isn’t necessary for appreciating this one, although knowing the full history between Wes and Liz will only add to the ache and longing readers feel from and for them. Main characters are cued white.
A worthy second-chance romance. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781665947138
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
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