A well-executed family drama of the power of romantic and parental love, secrets, regrets, and new beginnings.
Sixteen-year-old Taliah Abdallat has fantasized about the father she’s never met appearing at her doorstep, but she’s undone when he finally shows up unannounced.
Ever since she found a note in a hidden shoebox in her mother’s room three years ago, Taliah has suspected that her real father is none other than the white American rock star Julian Oliver and not the vague “boy from back home” her Jordanian mother always referred to. Given everything from her love of music to her blue eyes, the unlikely story makes perfect sense to Taliah. But Julian hasn’t answered her letters, and her mother hasn’t answered her questions. So when Julian shows up while her mother is traveling and asks Taliah to come home with him to meet his family, she has every reason to hesitate. But the promise of finding out the whole story her mother hasn’t told her is enough to get her to agree to the trip, and it’s more than enough to keep readers hooked. Over an intense few days, Taliah comes to understand her secretive mother better and to gain perspective on her own choices. Readers will find an exceptional portrayal of an Arab Muslim–immigrant experience in Taliah’s mother, sensitively juxtaposed with small-town Americana and popular culture.
A well-executed family drama of the power of romantic and parental love, secrets, regrets, and new beginnings. (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-06-232470-2
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 20, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The pleasure of the protagonists’ romance notwithstanding, give this one a miss. (Romance. 14-18)
A hospital is an unlikely place for first love, but for two teenagers with cystic fibrosis who have a history of extended stays, it proves to be a realistic yet difficult backdrop.
Stella is a high school senior who is dedicated to her CF treatments while Will, a talented artist, is home-schooled and anticipating his 18th birthday, when he will be free to make his own medical decisions. Despite rocky first impressions, Stella and Will make a deal—Will must stick to his treatment regimen, and in return, Stella will model for him while he draws her portrait. This leads to romance, but the combination of CF and Will’s infection with B. cepacia requires that he must stay several feet away from Stella, making physical touch an impossibility. Stella eventually understands why living on the edge can be freeing, and Will begins taking his treatment regimen seriously—leading to their only bit of meaningful development. The novel is written in alternating chapters, creating a few unexpected plot developments, but much of it is predictable and forgettable due to thin characterization. All characters are presumed white except for gay, Colombian CF patient Poe, whose story arc fulfills tired stereotypical tropes and who seems to function mostly as a catalyst for Stella’s growth.
The pleasure of the protagonists’ romance notwithstanding, give this one a miss. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 20, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5344-3733-3
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 30, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A dark, modern fairy tale.
An American girl finds family amid palace intrigue and a murder mystery.
During the six years since Evangeline Bright’s father gained custody of her, she has lived in boarding schools and summer camps. After nine expulsions, Evan is at her latest school, St. Edith’s Academy for Girls in Vermont, where she accidentally lights the calculus teacher’s office on fire. Now she is facing potential arrest. Reluctantly, she agrees to go to Windsor Castle, where she will meet her father for the first time—her father who happens to be the king of the United Kingdom. Evan hopes it will only be for a few weeks, until her 18th birthday, when she plans to reunite with her mom, who has schizophrenia. However, the news that the king has a secret daughter the same age as Princess Mary, her half sister who is next in line for throne, is just the start of the press feeding frenzy. After Evan is given date rape drugs by Jasper, the son of a media mogul, she is fortunately rescued by the queen’s nephew, Kit. But when Jasper is found dead, all fingers point to Evan. While some suspension of disbelief is needed, the relationships feel real and earned, mental health issues are treated respectfully, and the mystery and a potential romance will keep pages turning. Central characters are assumed White.
A dark, modern fairy tale. (family tree) (Mystery. 13-18)Pub Date: March 7, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-48589-7
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Nov. 28, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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