A fun paranormal comedy with an overarching message about being one’s true self and the power of honesty, it will be...
Two teen fairy godmothers with drastically different styles duel it out in this mostly clever follow-up to Don’t Expect Magic (2011).
Doubt plagues 15-year-old Delaney from the start of this sequel. She has newly come to terms with the wish-granting magic passed along to her by her father, but months have gone by since she granted the wish of her boyfriend, Flynn, and no further wish recipients have materialized. Adding to her woes are a rivalry with Ariella, an f.g. with powers that seem to dwarf her own, and Flynn’s inattentiveness due to his summer job. With so many things going wrong, Delaney retreats to her old ways, hiding her feelings and telling no one about her struggles. While readers will be sympathetic to her plight, it’s likely some will find her angst—“And then the moment’s gone in an instant, cruelly yanked away from me, like always”—a bit self-serving. However, as in the first, Delaney’s tendency toward gloom can also be wickedly funny, such as her thought that her dad’s relentless attempts to win over the son of his new girlfriend are “[s]ort of like a prisoner-of-war interrogation with a domestic twist.”
A fun paranormal comedy with an overarching message about being one’s true self and the power of honesty, it will be welcomed by fans of the first. (Paranormal comedy. 12 & up)Pub Date: July 9, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-385-74014-2
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 21, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2013
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
Exactly what the title promises.
A grieving teen’s devotion to romance films might ruin her chances at actual romance.
Liz Buxbaum has always adored rom-coms, not least for helping her still feel close to her screenwriter mother, who died when she was little. Liz hopes that her senior year might turn into a real-life romantic fantasy, as an old crush has moved back to town, cuter and nicer than ever. Surely she can get Michael to ask her to prom. If only Wes, the annoying boy next door, would help her with her scheming! This charming, fluffy concoction manages to pack into one goofy plot every conceivable trope, from fake dating to the makeover to the big misunderstanding. Creative, quirky, daydreaming Liz is just shy of an annoying stereotype, saved by a dry wit and unresolved grief and anger. Wes makes for a delightful bad boy with a good heart, and supporting characters—including a sassy best friend, a perfect popular rival, even a (not really) evil stepmother—all get the opportunity to transcend their roles. The only villain here is Liz’s lovelorn imagination, provoking her into foolish lies that cause actual hurt feelings; but she is sufficiently self-aware to make amends just in time for the most important trope of all: a blissfully happy ending. All characters seem to be White by default.
Exactly what the title promises. (Romance. 12-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-6762-0
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
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