A funny, sweet, and emotional navigation of faith and queerness.
A teen boy figures out his true feelings in this heartfelt page-turner.
Milo Connolly is a “super-religious, super-shy nerd”—or at least that’s what his fellow seniors would say. Except for his agnostic soccer star best friend, Van, a girl he met at church, people in Port Orange, Florida, would be pressed to even remember him. All there seemingly is to Milo is being the son of adamantly Republican Presbyterian parents. It’s not completely untrue; he does appreciate the structure and clarity of church life, but there’s more to Milo than his timidity and anti-social inclinations. Like what happened at camp three years ago—or what almost happened, anyway—something he’d be happier burying forever. Except now, like a bad omen from the heavens, Marcos Price has come back into his life, and once they’re face to face, the earth literally moves. The more the boys explore their feelings for each other, the more the natural disasters pile up. Milo becomes convinced God is punishing him for being gay. Now he must decide whether being with Marcos is worth it if it means the world is going to end. Milo’s journey is sincere and moving, written in engaging prose and wrapped up in a satisfying conclusion. Characters are well-rounded and believable, and it’s impossible not to root for them to get their happy endings. Milo is White; Van is Puerto Rican, and Marcos is White and Cuban.
A funny, sweet, and emotional navigation of faith and queerness. (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: May 24, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-06-306256-6
Page Count: 384
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2022
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
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
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