Still, the romances (with all their implausibilities) take precedence, and readers will be caught up with Emily’s and Hope's...
The parallel stories of rescue, love, and burgeoning self-reliance, 150 years apart, of two refined 16-year-old white English girls whose lives are changed in the American West by young, rugged, sensitive pioneers/cowboys with secrets.
In the present-day (and in the third person), Hope Cooper and her mother travel to a Montana ranch for research, lodging with the Crows, Caleb and his hardworking, handsome 19-year-old son, Cal. In 1867 and recounted in a diary/letter addressed to “you” that Hope finds in the barn loft, Emily Forsythe describes traveling by stagecoach through Montana toward an arranged marriage in Oregon. When the coach crashes, only Emily survives, rescued by Nate, a captivating blue-eyed horse trader and railway scout. In alternating chapters, Hope’s and Emily's engrossing stories mirror each other (as do Cal’s and Nate's), from injury to adjustment to the wilderness, coping with injustice, their first kisses, and beyond. Danger lurks at every turn in this sweeping and suspenseful romance, but its history is not well-integrated. Inglis packs in too much of her research, dropping in issues without really developing them, including women's subservient status; that of Nate's Apsáalooke family and his half sister, Rose, who is "two spirits in one body, a man and a woman"; the near-extinction of the bison; bullying.
Still, the romances (with all their implausibilities) take precedence, and readers will be caught up with Emily’s and Hope's exciting journeys. (Fiction/historical fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 31, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-545-90407-0
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Chicken House/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
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
A troubling depiction of an unhealthy relationship.
A battered girl and an injured rugby star spark up an ill-advised romance at an Irish secondary school.
Beautiful, waiflike, 15-year-old Shannon has lived her entire life in Ballylaggin. Alternately bullied at school and beaten by her ne’er-do-well father, she’s hopeful for a fresh start at Tommen, a private school. Seventeen-year-old Johnny, who has a hair-trigger temper and a severe groin injury, is used to Dublin’s elite-level rugby but, since his family’s move to County Cork, is now stuck captaining Tommen’s middling team. When Johnny angrily kicks a ball and knocks Shannon unconscious (“a soft female groan came from her lips”), a tentative relationship is born. As the two grow closer, Johnny’s past and Shannon’s present become serious obstacles to their budding love, threatening Shannon’s safety. Shannon’s portrayal feels infantilized (“I looked down at the tiny little female under my arm”), while Johnny comes across as borderline obsessive (“I knew I shouldn’t be touching her, but how the hell could I not?”). Uneven pacing and choppy sentences lead to a sudden climax and an unsatisfyingly abrupt ending. Repetitive descriptions, abundant and misogynistic dialogue (Johnny, to his best friend: “who’s the bitch with a vagina now?”), and graphic violence also weigh down this lengthy tome (considerably trimmed down from its original, self-published length). The cast of lively, well-developed supporting characters, especially Johnny’s best friend and Shannon’s protective older brother, is a bright spot. Major characters read white.
A troubling depiction of an unhealthy relationship. (author’s note, pronunciations, glossary, song moments, playlists) (Romance. 16-18)Pub Date: Nov. 28, 2023
ISBN: 9781728299945
Page Count: 626
Publisher: Bloom Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2023
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