Intricate and delightful.
Queer teens in San Francisco try to solve a historical puzzle.
There was a time, before everything changed between them, when white high schoolers Ivy Wethington and Cam Leonardo were close. When Cam found his late uncle Brian’s book, Gay Treasures, which mapped the history of the gay rights movement, they lost their minds over the thrill of the adventure. But that was before rising sophomore Ivy came out as lesbian to Cam—and Cam stopped talking to her. Ivy was devastated; she’d lost her best friend without knowing why. Now it’s junior year, and loner Cam has come out as transgender and suddenly become popular. Cam joins their school’s Genders & Sexualities Alliance—a place where Ivy has found solace—and soon maneuvers his way into becoming her co-chair, which leaves Ivy even more confused. Ivy is also the editor in chief of the yearbook, and she’s decided that this year’s theme will be “tying Sunset High’s present to the neighborhood’s past,” specifically 1970s queer history. While working on the layout, Ivy recalls the final clue in Gay Treasures—one that she and Cam never solved. Eventually, her unresolved feelings about him click into place. Friendship forms the heart of this story, which is filled with intriguing clues and ciphers. The incorporation of rich LGBTQ+ history, including giants like Harvey Milk and Gilbert Baker, is a bonus prize in this whirlwind of a story.
Intricate and delightful. (author’s note) (Romance. 12-18)Pub Date: July 7, 2026
ISBN: 9798217033027
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Delacorte Romance
Review Posted Online: April 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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
BOOK TO SCREEN
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