A solid mix of domestic drama and sci-fi absurdity, this series opener provides a promising start that intrigues as well as...
Derting (The Offering, 2013, etc.) kicks off a new series about a teen softball star who disappears one night after the big game and returns five years later with no memory of where she’s been.
The book is separated into two distinct halves. Character drives the first half as Kyra reassembles the pieces of her life and discovers that family and friends have moved on with their own. The second half pokes around the greater mystery of where Kyra’s been by turning the book into a plot-point machine and setting up a larger universe that will surely be explored in coming installments. The book’s strength lies more in the first half than the second, as Kyra and her family cope with the extraordinary circumstances thrust upon them. Just as they’ve begun to heal, Kyra comes back to rip open their wounds with riveting and heartbreaking results that the author explores with great success. Less successful is Kyra’s romance with the boy across the street, Tyler, who is defined solely by his dreamy smile and steadfast dedication to doing whatever Kyra wants him to do. Their romance marks the book’s low point, but the author ends on a high note with conspiracies, underground rebel networks and spooky government agencies.
A solid mix of domestic drama and sci-fi absurdity, this series opener provides a promising start that intrigues as well as it entertains . (Science fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: April 29, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-06-229360-2
Page Count: 368
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: Feb. 4, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2014
A sweet, charming story with both heartwarming and heart-rending moments.
A story of Black love in its many beautiful forms.
Danielle Ford is in her senior year of high school in Detroit. She dreams of becoming an author like the Black women writers she looks up to and has spent years honing her skills. However, since experiencing a traumatic assault last year—something she has kept secret from her family and closest friends—Dani has been unable to write or socialize like before. Her sole refuge lies in writing letters to her idols—Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, bell hooks—sharing her thoughts and feelings. Meanwhile, her classmate Prince Jones has had a crush on her since middle school. He works as a radio DJ, giving out advice on love, but ironically Prince’s own life is lacking in the romance department. Most of his time is spent taking care of his younger brother and disabled mother. However, when an opportunity arises for him to date the girl of his dreams, Prince seizes it. Cynical Dani is surprised to find herself accepting Prince’s challenge to get her to fall in love with him in only three dates. LaDelle does a fantastic job of bringing the complex, dynamic personalities and relationships of her characters to life while highlighting romantic, familial, and platonic love as well as self-love. Strong pacing allows the storylines to flow organically. Readers will find themselves hooked from the first page to the last.
A sweet, charming story with both heartwarming and heart-rending moments. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: May 31, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-66590-815-3
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
Entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable.
A Seattle teen fake dates his way into saving a family business.
Seventeen-year-old River Langston-Lee opens by informing readers that he’s sure he’s about to embark on the “Worst Day of My Life So Far”…but as he later ruefully reflects, it in fact turns out to be the “Worst Day of My Life Ever.” After suddenly dumping his girlfriend, Cecelia, the night before, he walks out of his SATs and heads to his part-time job at Cafe Gong, his family’s coffee shop “turned corporate caffeine hell.” Making things even more awkward, he and Cecelia are co-managers at the newest location, where most of River’s co-workers already hate him (it’s mutual). The day becomes even more disastrous when River pours a bag of coffee beans down the shirt of a rude customer, a green-haired goth girl, then impulsively quits. His best friend helps him find a new job at Bingsu for Two, a struggling Korean cafe where he meets a new co-worker, owner’s daughter Sarang Cho, aka Coffee Bean Girl. After River accidentally catapults Bingsu for Two into viral video fame, he and Sarang realize that fake dating for social media could save her family’s business—if they don’t strangle each other first. Unsurprisingly, River’s family and Cecelia aren’t happy about these developments. The strong narrative voice and amusing banter shine in this deeply heartwarming, laugh-out-loud rom-com that’s equal parts coming-of-age story. River is Korean American and white; Sarang is Korean American.
Entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 14, 2025
ISBN: 9781454954026
Page Count: 360
Publisher: Union Square & Co.
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2026 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.
