A fluffy enough diversion for voracious rom-com fans.
An amnesiac high school senior embarks on a Valentine-themed quest to recover her past.
Ella Fitzpatrick is a planner who had her life under perfect control until a terrible accident took away her memories of the previous 11 weeks. A year later, she’s still agonizing over why, exactly, she broke up with her boyfriend and became estranged from her lifelong friends; but an anonymous note in the shape of a heart begins a scavenger hunt she hopes will return everything she had forgotten. Anyone who has seen a Hallmark movie will recognize every trope and narrative beat, although they fit awkwardly into this novel. Even readers who suspend disbelief to embrace the premise will likely tire of the brand-name-dropping, and Ella, who is a stereotypical, self-centered Type A protagonist, feels likable mostly for being less awful than her mean-girl friends—and for her self-awareness in recognizing how easily she could be much worse. She’s a pretty girl from a wealthy family who seems entirely unaware of her privileges; her love interest is neither quirky nor charming enough to save things, and their bickerflirting becomes tedious. The paper hearts gimmick is cute, but once everyone’s secrets are revealed, the superficial romance is overshadowed by many characters’ creepy, manipulative behavior. A few surnames hint at ethnic diversity; Ella and her love interest are cued as White.
A fluffy enough diversion for voracious rom-com fans. (Romance. 12-18)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-18007-5
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Underlined
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2020
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
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
