by Jen Klein ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 13, 2017
Another romance about a girl who needs a boy to find her way.
Teen love drama goes to summer stock.
Rainie Langdon’s friends know where their lives are headed, but the white girl’s own life is directionless. She has no goals, no follow-through. Enter “#nofilter-perfect” blond, blue-eyed white boy Tuck Brady. Tuck’s theater-class monologue about being adrift on the sea of life speaks to Rainie. Lightning strike! She’s found her passion, her purpose: Tuck. His attention to Rainie, nonexistent until now, is borderline creepy, but she wants him. Rainie convinces her former bestie, Ella Reynolds, also white, to pull some family strings so she can follow Tuck to summer stock. Upon finding out Tuck has a girlfriend, Rainie tries to bail, but frenemy Ella blackmails her into staying. Tuck is definitely interested in her, but he needs to remain faithful for the summer, and Rainie is fine being on hold until school starts. Enter boy No. 2: sexy, Mexican-American photographer Milo Cabrera. He’s available now and seems interested in Rainie, but he’s also Ella’s ex, which could mean more tension in the girls’ tenuous friendship. Does Rainie want to give up the ghost and pursue him instead? This rom-com follows a familiar, undemanding path. Though Klein plants several instances of metafictive irony about girls who care what boys think, Rainie is so single-minded it’s hard to tell whether this is intentionally tongue-in-cheek or coincidence.
Another romance about a girl who needs a boy to find her way. (Fiction. 12-16)Pub Date: June 13, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5247-0004-1
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2017
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by Ben Philippe ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 8, 2019
Despite some missteps, this will appeal to readers who enjoy a fresh and realistic teen voice.
A teenage, not-so-lonely loner endures the wilds of high school in Austin, Texas.
Norris Kaplan, the protagonist of Philippe’s debut novel, is a hypersweaty, uber-snarky black, Haitian, French-Canadian pushing to survive life in his new school. His professor mom’s new tenure-track job transplants Norris mid–school year, and his biting wit and sarcasm are exposed through his cataloging of his new world in a field guide–style burn book. He’s greeted in his new life by an assortment of acquaintances, Liam, who is white and struggling with depression; Maddie, a self-sacrificing white cheerleader with a heart of gold; and Aarti, his Indian-American love interest who offers connection. Norris’ ego, fueled by his insecurities, often gets in the way of meaningful character development. The scenes showcasing his emotional growth are too brief and, despite foreshadowing, the climax falls flat because he still gets incredible personal access to people he’s hurt. A scene where Norris is confronted by his mother for getting drunk and belligerent with a white cop is diluted by his refusal or inability to grasp the severity of the situation and the resultant minor consequences. The humor is spot-on, as is the representation of the black diaspora; the opportunity for broader conversations about other topics is there, however, the uneven buildup of detailed, meaningful exchanges and the glibness of Norris’ voice detract.
Despite some missteps, this will appeal to readers who enjoy a fresh and realistic teen voice. (Fiction. 13-16)Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-06-282411-0
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2018
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by Alice Oseman ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 28, 2017
A smart, timely outing.
Two teens connect through a mysterious podcast in this sophomore effort by British author Oseman (Solitaire, 2015).
Frances Janvier is a 17-year-old British-Ethiopian head girl who is so driven to get into Cambridge that she mostly forgoes friendships for schoolwork. Her only self-indulgence is listening to and creating fan art for the podcast Universe City, “a…show about a suit-wearing student detective looking for a way to escape a sci-fi, monster-infested university.” Aled Last is a quiet white boy who identifies as “partly asexual.” When Frances discovers that Aled is the secret creator of Universe City, the two embark on a passionate, platonic relationship based on their joint love of pop culture. Their bond is complicated by Aled’s controlling mother and by Frances’ previous crush on Aled’s twin sister, Carys, who ran away last year and disappeared. When Aled’s identity is accidently leaked to the Universe City fandom, he severs his relationship with Frances, leaving her questioning her Cambridge goals and determined to win back his affection, no matter what the cost. Frances’ narration is keenly intelligent; she takes mordant pleasure in using an Indian friend’s ID to get into a club despite the fact they look nothing alike: “Gotta love white people.” Though the social-media–suffused plot occasionally lags, the main characters’ realistic relationship accurately depicts current issues of gender, race, and class.
A smart, timely outing. (Fiction. 12-16)Pub Date: March 28, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-06-233571-5
Page Count: 496
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2017
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by Alice Oseman
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