A fun and flirty royal romance with some dreamy armchair travel to boot.
An 18-year-old American in Scotland finds her careful life plans upended.
Shortly after recent high school graduate Hannah Grant leaves Milwaukee and arrives in Edinburgh to work as an assistant to her favorite author, Margaret MacIntyre, her hero impulsively departs for Japan to be with her new, younger paramour. Aspiring author Hannah is left without a job or a place to stay. Fortunately, she meets Finn, a handsome, copper-haired Englishman who saves the day, landing Hannah a live-in job at the gift shop of Inveresk Castle, the royal family’s Scottish home. She quickly discovers that her new friend is Prince Finneas, the playboy subject of tabloid gossip. As Hannah settles into her job, she and Finn develop a relationship—but can they overcome the obstacles presented by their different backgrounds? Morgan’s latest is an enjoyable summer love story, with a swoony prince at its center. Hannah is a fully formed character who stands up for herself while giving into her feelings. The well-developed cast of secondary characters refreshingly centers on healthy friendships among mutually supportive girls. In between sweeping romantic gestures, Hannah and Finn’s deepening relationship includes some heartfelt conversations, allowing the characters to grow emotionally. The leads present white, and there’s some diversity among the supporting characters.
A fun and flirty royal romance with some dreamy armchair travel to boot. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: May 12, 2026
ISBN: 9780063287501
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2026
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 worthy second-chance romance.
In this follow-up to 2021’s Better Than the Movies, a 20-year-old college freshman gets a second chance at his dreams.
After the death of his father and his mother’s subsequent physical and emotional disappearance, Wes Bennett left behind all of his plans and the girl he made them with to go home and take care of Sarah, his younger sister. But now, Sarah has graduated, his mom is back on her feet, and by some miracle, Wes has an offer to pitch for UCLA’s baseball team. Liz Buxbaum, the girl he’s always loved, works for the university’s athletic department, taking photos and video of the team for social media, which means that maybe he can have a second chance at love, too. But since Wes left, Liz has made every effort to protect herself from ever feeling that broken again; there’s no room for love, because she doesn’t believe in it anymore. Or she doesn’t want to. This second-chance sports romance includes fake dates, quippy and quirky best friends, real heartache, and the sweet ache of first love. The clever dialogue keeps readers from drowning in the main characters’ emotional push-and-pull. Reading the first novel isn’t necessary for appreciating this one, although knowing the full history between Wes and Liz will only add to the ache and longing readers feel from and for them. Main characters are cued white.
A worthy second-chance romance. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781665947138
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
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