The as-happy-as-it-could-be-under-the-circumstances ending will definitely satisfy, and Stone writes it with confidence and...
A contemporary romance-with-a-conscience presents three teens who have erred but are worthy of redemption.
Hot girl from out of town; hunky, vulnerable hero; alcohol-troubled ex-girlfriend; conflict and regrets…there’s nothing wrong—and a good deal that is right—with the romance formula when it’s handled this well. Emotionally damaged and painfully remote, New York teen Monroe is spending her summer in Louisiana with her wise and loving gram. There to heal after an initially unspecified tragedy, Monroe quickly meets local kindred-tortured-soul Nathan (“the pain that I saw there let me know I wasn’t the only one…who hated herself”). Their tragic tales emerge in alternating chapters; Nathan must deal with catastrophe or its fallout daily and faces it head-on, while Monroe circles around her pain. In their world, thoughtful, caring friends and a wise grandmother are better than therapists, and despite Monroe’s assertion that Nathan is not her type, hot days, Southern swimming holes, steamy nights and boozy teen parties out in “the bush” prove her wrong. Conveniently naïve parents and Gram’s upfront insistence on birth control create space for tender, consensual, responsible intimacy. Several layers of complexity (grief, guilt, the search for healing) nudge this toward the general fiction category even as it maintains familiar characteristics of the standard romance.
The as-happy-as-it-could-be-under-the-circumstances ending will definitely satisfy, and Stone writes it with confidence and style. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: May 6, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4022-9147-0
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2014
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
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations.
Magic, mystery, and love intertwine and invite in this newest take on the “enchanted circus” trope.
Sisters raised by their abusive father, a governor of a colonial backwater in a world vaguely reminiscent of the late 18th century, Scarlett and Donatella each long for something more. Scarlett, olive-skinned, dark of hair and attitude, longs for Caraval, the fabled, magical circus helmed by the possibly evil Master Legend Santos, while blonde, sunny Tella finds comfort in drink and the embraces of various men. A slightly awkward start, with inconsistencies of attitude and setting, rapidly smooths out when they, along with handsome “golden-brown” sailor Julian, flee to Caraval on the eve of Scarlett’s arranged marriage. Tella disappears, and Scarlett must navigate a nighttime world of magic to find her. Caraval delights the senses: beautiful and scary, described in luscious prose, this is a show readers will wish they could enter. Dresses can be purchased for secrets or days of life; clocks can become doors; bridges move: this is an inventive and original circus, laced with an edge of horror. A double love story, one sensual romance and the other sisterly loyalty, anchors the plot, but the real star here is Caraval and its secrets.
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations. (Fantasy. 14 & up)Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-250-09525-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
