Equal measures unabashed romance and sports story; a thoughtfully rewarding read for those who need one most.
Being a hockey phenom doesn’t magically cure overwhelming depression and anxiety, but falling for a teammate definitely complicates things.
At Hartland University in upstate New York, White freshman Mickey James III has the weight of his family’s hockey legacy on his shoulders: His father and grandfather are both alumni and former NHL legends. The all-but-guaranteed trajectory of his seemingly charmed life makes him deeply uneasy but also sows some initial resentment in his teammates, as Mickey’s mental health issues and years of sports-only development have left him a bit awkward. Luckily, they come to be overwhelmingly supportive—even Jaysen Caulfield, the other top NHL prospect and Mickey’s biggest rival, who is a Black player in a mostly White sport. Explicit conversations about mental health make for a refreshing take on the typical athlete’s journey. Mickey’s five older sisters and their respective successes also shed sobering light on gender inequity in sports while raising the stakes for Mickey in a family full of winners. Mickey’s queerness and budding relationship with Jaysen highlight first-time author Graziadei’s ability to balance teen melodrama and well-paced eroticism with a thoughtful, contemporary consideration of queer representation in sports and media. Despite well-worn tropes that move both boys from a tumultuous meet-cute toward as realistic a future as possible for two NHL players in love, Mickey’s progress with his mental health avoids predictability.
Equal measures unabashed romance and sports story; a thoughtfully rewarding read for those who need one most. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-77711-9
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2021
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
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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