Delivers on genre must-haves while successfully challenging outdated conventions.
Senior Ella Parker-Evans challenges her new private school’s student council status quo with the help of the principal’s son.
Ella takes her responsibilities as older sister to Connie very seriously, thanks in part to pressure from her parents. To help Connie escape bullying at her public school, the girls’ parents transfer them to Courtland Academy, where Ella can continue her protective role. On their first day of school, however, the entitled class president publicly humiliates Connie by reading aloud a sensual scene from her fan fiction and making innuendos. Incensed, Ella starts a petition for a new election and gets her name on the ballot. It’s hard to win as a brand-new student, so Ella strikes up a deal with handsome Patrick, the principal’s son: He’ll fake date her, using his popularity to bolster her chances. In return, she’ll help him secure a coveted apprenticeship at her mom’s restaurant in hopes of persuading his parents to support his dreams of culinary school. Predictably (and delightfully), the plan gets complicated when real feelings simmer below the surface of their pretend relationship. The leads are white; refreshingly, Ella is described as both fat and desirable. The writing is strongest during the swoonworthy scenes, which are dripping in romantic tension. The plot moves along at a nice pace, and the ending doesn’t disappoint.
Delivers on genre must-haves while successfully challenging outdated conventions. (Romance. 13-18)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9780063243774
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
PERSPECTIVES
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 heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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