A charming and accessible romance set against an appealing backdrop.
A college student spends the summer trying to discover herself—and a love she thought was long gone.
Camilla Lovett was born on an archaeological dig site in Italy. Twenty years later, she returns to Villa di Bronzo to meet up with her mother and take part in a documentary about its discovery. But Cammie has an ulterior motive for going: She doesn’t know who her father is, only that he was part of the same dig, had a fling with her mom, and “opted out of the very long-term commitment of raising the tiny human they accidentally created.” Armed with her mother’s journal, Cammie plans to retrace the events from two decades ago. But she didn’t plan on facing her own past in the form of Weston Jacobs, former best friend and first love. West and Cammie spent the first 16 years of their lives together, traveling from one dig to another with their archaeologist parents, until the day the white-presenting teens shared their first kiss, and everything blew up. Now, for the first time in three years, they’re in the same place. Initially, Cammie is snarky toward West, and he’s dealing with spiraling anxiety, but they find themselves drawn together. The pacing is consistent, unfolding in a gentle, unhurried way. Hill’s latest weaves adventurous moments into a sweet love story that explores identity, love, and family.
A charming and accessible romance set against an appealing backdrop. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: June 23, 2026
ISBN: 9780593650974
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Delacorte Romance
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2026
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
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
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