Depressingly familiar.
Rose Zarelli 2.0 is centered and in control, or at least that is the plan.
Sophomore year finds 15-year-old Rose slogging through familiar territory (Confessions of an Angry Girl, 2012). Drunken parties, secret make-out sessions and screaming matches with her mother are only some of Rose’s extracurricular activities. Despite her determination not to obsess about bad-boy Jamie Forta, Rose quickly assumes the role of his pining, not-quite girlfriend. Everyone around her, however, seems to be moving forward. Robert has a girlfriend. Tracy has ditched cheerleading to become a fashionista. Even quiet Stephanie is cast in the school musical. But when her mother starts dating, and her brother, Peter, is kicked out of college for using drugs, Rose’s new persona shatters, forcing her to find her own voice, literally. The inclusion of issues such as homophobia, domestic violence and the reality of hate crimes fails to elevate this beyond barely camouflaged pulp. Rose’s determination to change is undermined by her complete lack of self-discipline. Her failure to move past old patterns is only marginally mitigated by her newfound passion for singing. While this new obsession is promising, it is not enough to rescue this sequel.
Depressingly familiar. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: June 25, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-373-21065-7
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Review Posted Online: May 28, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
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
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
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