An earnest and entertaining teen romance.
In Wright’s YA novel,sparks fly between two students cast in a high school musical.
Senior Natalie Tremayne has two passions—swimming and theater—and she’s hoping to land the role of Belle in her Virginia high school’s production of Beauty and the Beast. She’s disappointed when she’s cast in the secondary role of Mrs. Potts, instead, but she’s intrigued when Campbell Adams, a fellow senior on the swim team, is selected to play the Beast. Campbell, a handsome transfer student, keeps to himself and rarely interacts with anyone—with the exception of Natalie, who finds herself drawn to the endearing but taciturn teen. While Natalie navigates her feelings for him, she struggles with the expectations of her perfectionist mother and the pressure to impress college swimming scouts for the University of California, Berkeley, her dream school. When her relationship with Campbell turns serious, she becomes determined to unlock the mystery behind his unwillingness to open up to her; however, Campbell is keeping a secret that could change everything. This latest novel from Wright, author of The Darkest Web(2022), is an engaging YA romance that successfully balances the story of Natalie’s and Campbell’s nascent relationship with themes of parental expectations and responsibility. Natalie is a well-developed protagonist whose vision for her life after high school will resonate with readers. Her interactions with Campbell build methodically from their initial discussion on the day the musical is cast to their first date. The strong supporting cast notably features Noah Jones,a classmate angling for Campbell’s role in the play. Wright’s narrative brims with insight as well, as when Campbell suggests that Natalie’s acting immature during an argument: “He’d told me I was a child, which burned mainly because it was true. A child fights with her mother and can’t control herself. A child expects to live a life without a single wrinkle in her plans. A child expects nothing unexpected ever to happen.”
An earnest and entertaining teen romance.Pub Date: May 21, 2024
ISBN: 9781958109588
Page Count: 278
Publisher: Owl Hollow Press, LLC
Review Posted Online: July 16, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in.
Black is back with another dark tale of Faerie, this one set in Faerie and launching a new trilogy.
Jude—broken, rebuilt, fueled by anger and a sense of powerlessness—has never recovered from watching her adoptive Faerie father murder her parents. Human Jude (whose brown hair curls and whose skin color is never described) both hates and loves Madoc, whose murderous nature is true to his Faerie self and who in his way loves her. Brought up among the Gentry, Jude has never felt at ease, but after a decade, Faerie has become her home despite the constant peril. Black’s latest looks at nature and nurture and spins a tale of court intrigue, bloodshed, and a truly messed-up relationship that might be the saving of Jude and the titular prince, who, like Jude, has been shaped by the cruelties of others. Fierce and observant Jude is utterly unaware of the currents that swirl around her. She fights, plots, even murders enemies, but she must also navigate her relationship with her complex family (human, Faerie, and mixed). This is a heady blend of Faerie lore, high fantasy, and high school drama, dripping with description that brings the dangerous but tempting world of Faerie to life.
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in. (Fantasy. 14-adult)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-316-31027-7
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
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