by Liane Shaw ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 6, 2018
There are far more nuanced portrayals of gay teens out there—this one can be left on the shelf.
A white boy with cerebral palsy feels responsible for the gay classmate he saves from drowning.
When 17-year-old Ryan swims, his wheelchair doesn’t matter. So when he sees a skirted figure jump into the river, he dives to the rescue. To his shock, the figure is Jack, a white boy. Jack, terrified of coming out to his “über-religious” mother, charges Ryan with keeping his suicide attempt a secret. Overwhelmed, Ryan agrees, reluctantly becoming Jack’s confidant. Their entire relationship consists of Jack’s neediness and Ryan’s pity, and this patronizing dynamic insults everyone concerned. Seen only through Ryan’s perspective, Jack is little more than a constant source of exhaustion and anxiety. Nevertheless, Ryan invites Jack to attend Comic Con with him and his white, “pretty much homophobic, relatively racist” best friend, Cody. Though Jack finds acceptance in Comic Con’s open-minded atmosphere, he quickly reverts to an object of pity. Shaw (The Color of Silence, 2013, etc.) compares Ryan’s disability and Jack’s sexuality to show their struggles in a small town, but Ryan misses a glaring parallel: he’s no more Jack’s friend than the “forced helpers” assigned to him in school were his. Ryan is understandably out of his depth, but his martyrdom is also unfair to Jack, who clearly needs mentoring and an honest friendship.
There are far more nuanced portrayals of gay teens out there—this one can be left on the shelf. (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: March 6, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-77260-053-7
Page Count: 246
Publisher: Second Story Press
Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2018
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by Liane Shaw
by Laura Nowlin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 6, 2024
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
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by Laura Nowlin ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2013
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
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