A simmering romance that gives weight to mental health and hard choices.
After a weekend trapped in a library together, two teens from different social stratospheres are drawn to one another.
All Autumn, a white senior, wanted to do was go to the bathroom. She had been studying with her friends in the library before it closed, excited to go build a campfire in the canyon. Instead, she finds herself locked in the library, her friends gone and her phone with them. But she’s not alone: Dax, a white loner with a bad reputation, has purposely stayed behind, unaware of her presence. It’s a three-day weekend, and the two while the hours away with games and standoffs, each wary of trusting the other. As Autumn warms to Dax, he remains distant, and her friends never show up. When the reason for their absence is revealed and Autumn’s anxiety disorder spirals, it’s Dax who saves the day. Afterward, however, Dax pretends they’re strangers, and Autumn’s friends have expectations for who she should be with, and it sure isn’t Dax. The feeling of calm that Dax brought out in Autumn pulls her to him anyway, and soon she must decide what she really wants. Though quite slow to start, Autumn and Dax’s relationship burns brightly. Autumn’s struggles with anxiety are equally dynamic. If only the rest of her life—her friends and other love interest—were equally engaging.
A simmering romance that gives weight to mental health and hard choices. (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-06-245586-4
Page Count: 352
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2016
Delightful.
A sweet second-chance romance set against the backdrop of the Korean entertainment industry.
Eighteen-year-old Min Sori’s life is a far cry from that of the average girl her age. To start with, there are her parents: Her father is a politician with presidential aspirations, and her mother is CEO of Joah, the major record label who signed XOXO, the hottest boy group of the hour. Sori’s relationship with her ambitious, absentee parents isn’t the closest—in fact, it’s strained at best. Sori has her own career as a rising model and Joah trainee, although she’s lost her passion for music and doesn’t really want to be an idol anymore. She just needs to find the courage to tell her mom that. But Sori is exhausted, thanks to her stressful family situation and feelings for ex-boyfriend Nathaniel Lee, XOXO’s Korean American lead vocalist and dancer, who’s extremely off-limits. It doesn’t help that their chemistry is still sizzling or that his family feels more comforting to her than her own. When push comes to shove, she may have to confront her feelings all at once—for Nathaniel, her parents, and her future. This charming companion to XOXO (2021) features lived-in characters and a swoony love story. Romanized Korean is smoothly incorporated throughout the book, and the South Korean setting is richly developed.
Delightful. (Romance. 13-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9780063299306
Page Count: 352
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2023
Some quality worldbuilding, but the story only inches along.
Juliette, the girl with the deadly touch, struggles to fit in with the resistance movement that saved her at the end of Shatter Me(2011).
In training to participate in an inevitable war against the Reestablishment, Juliette Ferrars should feel at home at Omega Point. In addition to no longer being a prisoner, she is surrounded by other people with supernatural gifts. Compassionate Castle tries to help her master her abilities, and Kenji tries to help her fit in, but the devastating nature of Juliette’s power hampers her efforts. Additionally, Adam is acting strangely—in large part because of his work with Castle to determine why he is able to touch Juliette safely—which causes difficulties in their relationship. Soon some of her new comrades are abducted while on patrol by soldiers led by Warner’s father, who demands a meeting with Juliette. The resistance is able to come away from the meeting with a hostage, Warner, who resumes his part in the established love triangle. Too much of the plot relies on Juliette’s withholding of important information and revelations, even against her own judgment. The bloated relationship drama takes priority over the captive resistance members in the buildup to the climax, which finally brings action before setting up the next novel.
Some quality worldbuilding, but the story only inches along. (Science fiction. 13 & up)Pub Date: Feb. 5, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-06-208553-5
Page Count: 480
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Dec. 11, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2013
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