Deeply absorbing and dreamlike.
When a Cuban American teen from Los Angeles spends the summer with her aunt in a rural Oregon cabin, she happens upon a gold watch with paranormal powers in a nearby antique shop.
Eighteen-year-old Sylvie Castellano dreams of leading “a big, big life”—one full of love, adventure, and freedom. She’s elated to spend the summer between high school graduation and starting community college with her beloved tía, the famous artist Vivian Rojas, although she feels abandoned by her absent parents; left out by her best friends, Ana and Grier, who recently coupled up; and uneasy about her own future. In tiny Sacred, Oregon, where Tía Vivian is working, Sylvie purchases a seemingly ordinary wristwatch—and is shocked when it summons the spirit of a teenage boy. Penn, who’s cued white, is handsome, charismatic, and devoid of all memories. Sylvie vows to help him discover why he’s bound to the watch and stuck in limbo. But as they grow closer, she becomes torn between wanting to continue their connection and helping Penn’s spirit move on as she promised. Sylvie’s story is grounded in specifics but contains elements that hold universal resonance for young adult readers. Unexpected twists, slowly unfolding mysteries, and a haunted romance add sparkle to the summer vacation genre. This beautiful, surreal narrative thoughtfully explores transitions—from childhood to adulthood and from this world to the next.
Deeply absorbing and dreamlike. (Speculative romance. 14-18)Pub Date: March 3, 2026
ISBN: 9781547618057
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Nov. 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
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 compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters.
When star hockey player Alec Barczewski’s estranged childhood friend, Dani Collins, moves to town, they end up in a mutually beneficial fake-dating relationship that reignites old feelings.
Following her parents’ divorce, Dani and her mom move in with Dani’s hockey legend grandfather in Southview, Minnesota, where she spent a month every summer as a child and where her friendship with Alec grew. Between visits, the two were pen pals, but they eventually fell out of touch. Despite some tensions over their loss of friendship, the high school seniors reconnect. Desperate to get off Harvard’s waitlist, Dani needs another extracurricular activity, while Alec—whose reputation took a hit when a photo of him holding a bong appeared on social media—is eager to improve his tarnished image for NHL scouts. The pair strike a deal: They’ll fake date, making Alec look like a stable guy whose academically gifted girlfriend is related to hockey royalty, and in exchange, he’ll get Dani a team manager position that will catch the eye of Harvard’s admissions officers. Eventually, complicated feelings about their past, stressful family relationships, and their brewing romance boil over. Romance fans will love the deliciously tension-filled scenes between Alec and Dani, who are believable friends with heavy demands weighing on them. They feel like real teenagers, and readers will enjoy rooting for them as the well-paced story unfolds. Main characters present white.
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
ISBN: 9781665921268
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
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