A taut, gripping page-turner with a strong female hero to root for.
Still battered from the car crash that took her mother’s life, Jess is sent to live in the remote Canadian wilderness with Carl, the father she barely remembers—and then he’s murdered.
Carl’s lessons in living off the grid (no phone, electricity, or running water) and hesitant attempts at connecting with Jess end abruptly when associates from his unsavory past arrive to collect money he doesn’t have. Hiding with Carl’s dog, Bo, Jess watches her dad ask for more time. Instead, Raph, the leader, shoots Carl. Burying him with the mysterious crate he’s safeguarded for them, they burn the cabin and fly off. Only Carl’s friend Griff, who flew her in, knows Jess is there, but he won’t return for a year. With brains and ingenuity compensating for her physical weakness, Jess finds shelter, makes fire, and feeds and protects herself and Bo. Yet small mistakes, moments of inattention, nearly prove lethal. Raph might return for the crate, and winter’s approaching. To obtain ammunition for Carl’s rifle, Jess makes a desperate but pivotal decision. Presumably white, as are other characters, Jess is believable, her setbacks realistic, her successes earned. She is on a solitary journey—a quest not for treasure but for survival—that demands all her strength, each day a test of endurance, patience, and hope.
A taut, gripping page-turner with a strong female hero to root for. (Thriller. 12-17)Pub Date: July 24, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-425-29098-9
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: May 14, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2018
A festive story that shows that in the end it’s friends, not followers, who count.
Two social media influencers on either side of the Atlantic decide to switch places to boost followers—and learn some life lessons in the process.
Holly, a 16-year-old Brit, adores Christmas. She sends herself a card in advance every year and makes a 39-point Christmas-decorating list. But all the tinsel in the world won’t improve her mood after a bad boyfriend breakup. Meanwhile, in Alpine Peaks, New Jersey, American Elle is working to increase the following of her new social media account, @OneElleOfATime, and helping her parents with their Christmas tree rental and decoration business while struggling with the stress of yet another move. A challenge from another influencer to take part in a race to be the first to get 15,000 new followers propels the girls to engage in a life swap over Christmas. Holly’s and Elle’s alternating first-person narratives are laugh-out-loud funny. The roller-coaster drama of their lives as they pursue this outrageous adventure while adapting to each other’s cultures, dealing with the stress of finding material to attract followers to their accounts, and meeting cute boys will keep the pages turning. The constant British versus American wordplay threading the narrative will appeal to many and will introduce non-British readers to holiday traditions such as mince pies, Christmas jumpers (sweaters), and pantomime. All main characters present White.
A festive story that shows that in the end it’s friends, not followers, who count. (Romance. 12-16)Pub Date: Nov. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-72824-897-4
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A funny and spirited romp.
Teen filmmakers try to make the titular cinematic masterpiece.
Justin and his pals Bobby and Gabe have been making movies for a while now, but none has gained much traction. Their films have been poorly received on YouTube, and few of their fellow students show much interest in their moviemaking exploits. After their vampire movie falls apart, the trio resolves to go big or go home, and going big means making the greatest zombie movie ever. With a $5,000 loan from Justin's grandmother and the most popular girl in school as its star, Justin's film is off to a good start. But it doesn't take long for Murphy's law to take effect—in increasingly silly and exasperating fashion. Strand's penchant for tongue-in-cheek humor and witty repartee is on full display here. Justin, Bobby, and Gabe have numerous exchanges that will have readers chuckling, snickering, and laughing out loud. Unfortunately these laughs don't cover up the structural issues at hand. A few avenues turn into dead ends, making the thrust of the novel a bit muddled. Is this a story about the complications that come with following dreams? Is it a story about three friends growing older and apart with age? The novel doesn't seem to know, and while that doesn't ruin the fun, it does hold it back from true greatness. With ethnicity a nonissue, characters are white by default.
A funny and spirited romp. (Fiction. 12-16)Pub Date: March 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4926-2814-9
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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