A debut that keeps throwing curveballs with lies to piece together and mysteries to unravel.
The suspects are photogenic, but don’t let that fool you—some are rotten to the core.
Summer is the #PerfectlyImperfect influencer; every part of the 16-year-old Angeleno’s online life is cultivated and calculated. But everything goes out the window when her Halloween party takes a few unexpected turns. The make-believe of a murder-mystery party becomes all too real when Summer winds up dead. With her highly publicized tell-all book contract, there’s no shortage of suspects—it seems like everyone has a motive for wanting to keep secrets from coming to light, including ex-boyfriend Adam, best friend Grace, stalker Cora, and rival influencer Avalon. Whose secret is worthy of murder? The combination of flashbacks, Instagram posts, and police transcripts woven into the third-person narrative from multiple perspectives gives the book a pleasingly varied feel. Summer’s older social media posts must be reexamined in a new light whenever secrets are revealed. This passive-aggressive influencer wants to watch the world burn, and she drops hints about her revealing memoir in posts scheduled in advance of her death. The racially diverse cast members act like true teenagers, making mistakes like withholding information and playing detective. In the end, public perception is what matters most, and they will need to play their cards right to come out looking innocent despite suspicion thrown on them by entries from Summer’s account. Fans of Pretty Little Liars will devour this series opener.
A debut that keeps throwing curveballs with lies to piece together and mysteries to unravel. (Thriller. 12-18)Pub Date: Jan. 24, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-368-07836-8
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Melissa de la Cruz Studio
Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
Exactly what the title promises.
A grieving teen’s devotion to romance films might ruin her chances at actual romance.
Liz Buxbaum has always adored rom-coms, not least for helping her still feel close to her screenwriter mother, who died when she was little. Liz hopes that her senior year might turn into a real-life romantic fantasy, as an old crush has moved back to town, cuter and nicer than ever. Surely she can get Michael to ask her to prom. If only Wes, the annoying boy next door, would help her with her scheming! This charming, fluffy concoction manages to pack into one goofy plot every conceivable trope, from fake dating to the makeover to the big misunderstanding. Creative, quirky, daydreaming Liz is just shy of an annoying stereotype, saved by a dry wit and unresolved grief and anger. Wes makes for a delightful bad boy with a good heart, and supporting characters—including a sassy best friend, a perfect popular rival, even a (not really) evil stepmother—all get the opportunity to transcend their roles. The only villain here is Liz’s lovelorn imagination, provoking her into foolish lies that cause actual hurt feelings; but she is sufficiently self-aware to make amends just in time for the most important trope of all: a blissfully happy ending. All characters seem to be White by default.
Exactly what the title promises. (Romance. 12-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-6762-0
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK TO SCREEN
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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