A Summerween-esque romance to remember.
In this charming small-town romance with plenty of frights, a teen and her mother embark on a messy renovation project.
Amity Callaway’s parents have just finalized their divorce, and Amity’s mom has found a higher-paying job at Rehoboth College in the picturesque town of Harlow’s Rest, Massachusetts. This move upends “history nerd” Amity’s plan of staying in California and studying Colonial America at the small college where her mother worked—not to mention experiencing college life with her best friend, Taylor, who’ll be attending nearby UC Santa Barbara. Thanks to a YouTube channel run by an earnest, good-looking ghost hunter named Theo Hargrave, Amity discovers that their new house, the Harlow Homestead, is in disrepair thanks to its sinister history and reputation for being haunted. Theo’s contractor dad agrees to fix up the house, but things keep going wrong. Amity and Theo collaborate to research the mysterious deaths that occurred there back in the 1600s—and hopefully rid the house of its unwanted guests once and for all. Amity and Theo’s chemistry is palpable, and he patiently supports her through her inexperience with dating and intimacy. Amity’s heartbreaking anxiety stemming from past bullying for her weight and social awkwardness is assuaged when she befriends Matt, Theo’s fellow YouTube ghost hunter, and Arden, a nonbinary Rehoboth student with an interest in design. The book, which covers a breadth of serious topics, wraps up with a chilling and effective climax. The main characters present white.
A Summerween-esque romance to remember. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: July 21, 2026
ISBN: 9780593809129
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Delacorte Romance
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: tomorrow
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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