Clocking in at over 500 pages, this attempt by Han and Vivian to craft a Carrie-meets–John Tucker Must Die novel falls very...
Revenge might be a dish best served cold but not when it’s as unappetizing and bloated as this sequel to Burn for Burn (2012).
At first, in the aftermath of the homecoming debacle, Kat, Lillia and Mary think they’re done with revenge. But then they regroup and focus their efforts on one person: star quarterback Reeve, who broke his leg after Lillia drugged him at the dance and who used to bully the still-fragile Mary. There are signs that Reeve has a crush on Lillia, so the girls decide she will get close to Reeve and then break his heart. This has the bonus of hurting Rennie, Kat’s nemesis and Lillia’s new frenemy. The movement of Lillia to the forefront of the novel and the slow growth of her feelings for Reeve are compelling, but Kat’s relegation to the sidelines and the strange supernatural powers that Mary discovers make the book feel uneven. When the truth about Mary is finally revealed, it’s just a distraction from the more interesting plot points—and feels totally unnecessary.
Clocking in at over 500 pages, this attempt by Han and Vivian to craft a Carrie-meets–John Tucker Must Die novel falls very flat. (Fiction. 15-18)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4424-4078-4
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Good, dirty fun.
Drama reigns supreme in suburban New Jersey.
Senior basketballer Antonio “Tone” Lopez can have any girl he wants. They throw themselves at his feet at school and sext him hot messages and pics at night. He can have anyone he wants, and he knows it. And he does. The only one he can’t have is Miesha, the beautiful, stone-cold new girl in town from Brooklyn, who, of course, becomes the object of his affection. Tension sparks the moment she walks into the school. Every other girl is jealous of her beauty, and the drama escalates when Tone shows an interest in her. Threats are made. Punches are thrown. Weaves are torn—and more. Abrams’ latest is good, raunchy fun. There’s little actual profanity spoken by the characters, but the sex trash talk runs rampant. What’s important, however, is that Tone and Miesha aren’t just stereotypes, and Abrams works hard to humanize them with their back stories and dreams. But what teen readers will love the most are the full-on catfights, trash talk and sizzling romance.
Good, dirty fun. (Romance. 15 & up)Pub Date: July 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-7582-7357-4
Page Count: 364
Publisher: Dafina/Kensington
Review Posted Online: May 28, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2013
A solid beach read.
A summer-at-the-beach story takes readers to Nantucket.
When 17-year-old Cricket is promised the chance to spend her summer on Nantucket at her best friend Jules Clayton’s vacation home, she’s psyched. In addition to lazy days at the beach, summer on Nantucket means the opportunity to connect with her longtime crush, Jay Logan. But when tragedy strikes the Clayton family, Cricket’s summer invite is rescinded. Undeterred, Cricket hatches her own secret plans to stay on the island to support Jules, but upon arrival, her plans fall through, leaving her without a place to stay, no summer job and on the outs with Jules. In a stroke of good luck, Cricket lands on her feet, finding a less-than-glamorous job at an inn that serves as her base for a summer of unexpected adventures and new friendships. Though the book has an overall lighthearted summer vibe, Cricket’s bumpy relationship with her divorced parents, especially her mother, and her fractured friendship with Jules ground the text, providing a welcome sense of reality in a tony island paradise. Cricket’s narration vacillates between hyperbole and thoughtful introspection, making the text feel uneven in places; this reflects Cricket’s development, as the narration matures along with Cricket.
A solid beach read. (Fiction. 15-18)Pub Date: May 7, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4231-6051-9
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: March 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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