A clever and thoughtful investigation of teenage empowerment.
Two teenage girls turn the tables on high school misogynists in this YA novel.
Sixteen-year-old narrator Bethany Cummings lives in a swanky Chicago suburb where she doesn’t share the in-crowd’s values. Indeed, she has no close friends until her junior year, when she meets new female student Ash Bauer, who, like her, isn’t into coy flirting—although both still worry about how to please guys. After they encounter some jerkish male behavior, though, they realize that it’s time to reverse the dynamic. Bethany discovers a spreadsheet on her brother’s old MacBook evaluating various girls he dated, assigning them points for anything from a hug to a sexual act; when each girl reached 100 points, she got dumped. Bethany is disgusted and furious—but she also sees the perfect way to overturn the system. She and Ash develop a guy-rating spreadsheet that gives them new confidence and a measure of romantic success. But Ash becomes troubled by the new system, which hasn’t resulted in a jerk-free relationship and is, after all, ethically dubious. Bethany, who’s been gaining influence as a feminist activist, defends the new spreadsheet system, but her views are challenged when she meets a kind, respectful guy. Doyle, whose debut novel, Milked (2019), was written for an adult audience, here offers her first YA novel that tackles some mature themes. The spreadsheet proves to be a great hook for a story and a graphic way to capture the colder, more manipulative power dynamics of dating. That said, it’s never really acknowledged that people who are less attractive than Bethany and Ash might have some trouble adopting their tactics. The book’s humor is nicely balanced by moral complexity, and even Bethany’s brother, the inventor of the point system, is revealed to be a more complicated character than he first appears.
A clever and thoughtful investigation of teenage empowerment.Pub Date: Oct. 20, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-73395-034-3
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Lang Verhaal Company
Review Posted Online: Nov. 8, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A thrilling end to a lively saga.
Two headstrong characters must trust themselves and their community as they fight to change their destinies in this trilogy closer.
Koffi awakens after her grueling battle with Fedu, the god of death, who remains a threat as the Bonding swiftly approaches. Not only disoriented and wary, she now also bears the marks of the powerful splendor she carries within her body. As Koffi is reunited with her friends, Fedu sends his Untethered—undead souls who aren’t allowed to cross over—to wreak havoc on their encampment, forcing them to flee without a plan in place. Knowing that Fedu won’t rest until he recaptures her, Koffi seeks help from Badwa, one of Eshōza’s six ancient gods, who sends her on a pilgrimage to recruit the other gods for the final battle. Ekon, recently reunited with his presumed-dead mother, is haunted by his past and trying to outrun a prophecy, both of which affect his chronic anxiety. Infighting, dangerous creatures, and a love triangle plague our protagonists along their journey; however, only together can they hope to end Fedu’s murderous plot. Their fragile plans begin to unravel as Ekon’s past catches up with him. Gray continues to dive into complicated relationships and explore what it means to break free from societal pressures. Readers will stay engaged through the vivid descriptions and action-packed battles in this African-inspired fantasy. Secondary characters are just as vital as the leads, something made evident in their development throughout.
A thrilling end to a lively saga. (Fantasy. 12-18)Pub Date: Jan. 16, 2024
ISBN: 9780593405741
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Oct. 7, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Unequivocally hilarious and delightful.
Valentine’s Day is the new Groundhog Day in Painter’s latest teen romance.
According to Emilie Hornby, “love is for planners,” and she is confident that Josh is the perfect boyfriend: He is well liked, academically gifted, and extremely handsome. So after dating him for three months, she adds “Say ‘I love you’ to Josh!!!!!!!!!!!” to her Valentine’s Day to-do list. But Fate has other plans for Emilie, and she ends up crashing her car into her surly chemistry lab partner Nick’s truck, losing a journalism fellowship due to a clerical error, and catching Josh kissing his beautiful ex in his car. After sleeping over at her grandma’s, Emilie wakes up in her own bedroom and discovers that it is Feb. 14 again. Trapped in a time loop where she repeatedly relives the day’s heartbreaking events, she tries to manipulate things in order to free herself. But tomorrow never seems to come, and she keeps finding her way back to Nick, who is not only annoyingly handsome, but surprisingly charming. Painter plucks readers’ every heartstring, from writing a sweet love story between two teens with very different views on romance to honestly depicting how Emilie’s parents’ messy divorce has impacted her feelings of self-worth. Italicized confessions at the beginnings of various chapters prove there is a playful side to Emilie that is further brought out by Nick, whose constant teasing leads to flirty banter. Main characters are cued as White.
Unequivocally hilarious and delightful. (Romance. 13-18)Pub Date: Nov. 15, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5344-7886-2
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2022
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