A complexly woven yet accessible story of family history, trauma, and healing.
A queer Jewish Italian girl joins the resistance during World War II; more than 80 years later, her grandniece attempts to uncover her story.
In 1940s Nazi-occupied Rome, 19-year-old Bruna Mosseri narrowly escaped when her family was sent to Auschwitz. Riddled with guilt over leaving them, Bruna joined the resistance, where she discovered not only a new purpose, but a rekindled bond with a childhood crush. In the present, American college student Lilah Tepper longs to connect with her grandfather Ralph, Bruna’s younger brother, though he refuses to open up about his childhood. When Tommaso Reni, a student in Rome, contacts Lilah about a long-lost family heirloom and a mysterious note from Bruna, she realizes that the great-aunt everyone assumed had been sent to Auschwitz may actually have survived. Lilah and her grandfather travel to Rome to uncover the truth about Bruna, forming a tentative new relationship along the way. Bruna’s and Lilah’s stories mirror one another—both young women cope with grief and must find the courage to pursue love after loss. Taylor subtly juxtaposes the girls’ sexuality: Bruna must keep her queerness a secret, while Lilah has the freedom to be open about her bisexuality. The alternating historical and contemporary storylines weave together, moving toward a satisfying, though perhaps too neatly wrapped up, conclusion.
A complexly woven yet accessible story of family history, trauma, and healing. (author’s note) (Historical fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: July 8, 2025
ISBN: 9780063340299
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
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 compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters.
When star hockey player Alec Barczewski’s estranged childhood friend, Dani Collins, moves to town, they end up in a mutually beneficial fake-dating relationship that reignites old feelings.
Following her parents’ divorce, Dani and her mom move in with Dani’s hockey legend grandfather in Southview, Minnesota, where she spent a month every summer as a child and where her friendship with Alec grew. Between visits, the two were pen pals, but they eventually fell out of touch. Despite some tensions over their loss of friendship, the high school seniors reconnect. Desperate to get off Harvard’s waitlist, Dani needs another extracurricular activity, while Alec—whose reputation took a hit when a photo of him holding a bong appeared on social media—is eager to improve his tarnished image for NHL scouts. The pair strike a deal: They’ll fake date, making Alec look like a stable guy whose academically gifted girlfriend is related to hockey royalty, and in exchange, he’ll get Dani a team manager position that will catch the eye of Harvard’s admissions officers. Eventually, complicated feelings about their past, stressful family relationships, and their brewing romance boil over. Romance fans will love the deliciously tension-filled scenes between Alec and Dani, who are believable friends with heavy demands weighing on them. They feel like real teenagers, and readers will enjoy rooting for them as the well-paced story unfolds. Main characters present white.
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
ISBN: 9781665921268
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
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