A perceptive novel that has the power to capture romance and paranormal fans while delivering real insight into the power of...
In this sequel to The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers (2011), Lucy regrets becoming a Heartbreaker, taking power from the tears of the boys whose hearts she breaks. But can she find a way out?
Lucy knows she has a magically unbreakable heart, but she has become aware that she feels less and less emotion of any kind. Her singing no longer captivates her audience. She can’t get over the guilt she feels after deliberately breaking sensitive Colin’s heart in the last book so that she could join the Sisterhood. She learns from an elderly former Heartbreaker that, indeed, she’ll never feel emotional pain again, but at the cost of never feeling any emotion. Together with her three “sisters,” Lucy joins a contest among the North American Sisterhood to break the hearts of selected celebrities. In the course of their efforts, Lucy learns of someone who might be able to help her escape….Weingarten crafts a clever vehicle for her thoughtful message. The book looks like a romance novel, but it becomes so much more as Lucy’s thinking evolves and as she tries to escape the fate she realizes she was foolish to choose. Yes, young girls fear the pain of heartbreak, but could that pain be worth the trouble?
A perceptive novel that has the power to capture romance and paranormal fans while delivering real insight into the power of love and friendship. (Paranormal romance. 12 & up)Pub Date: Dec. 31, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-06-192620-4
Page Count: 272
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Exactly what the title promises.
A grieving teen’s devotion to romance films might ruin her chances at actual romance.
Liz Buxbaum has always adored rom-coms, not least for helping her still feel close to her screenwriter mother, who died when she was little. Liz hopes that her senior year might turn into a real-life romantic fantasy, as an old crush has moved back to town, cuter and nicer than ever. Surely she can get Michael to ask her to prom. If only Wes, the annoying boy next door, would help her with her scheming! This charming, fluffy concoction manages to pack into one goofy plot every conceivable trope, from fake dating to the makeover to the big misunderstanding. Creative, quirky, daydreaming Liz is just shy of an annoying stereotype, saved by a dry wit and unresolved grief and anger. Wes makes for a delightful bad boy with a good heart, and supporting characters—including a sassy best friend, a perfect popular rival, even a (not really) evil stepmother—all get the opportunity to transcend their roles. The only villain here is Liz’s lovelorn imagination, provoking her into foolish lies that cause actual hurt feelings; but she is sufficiently self-aware to make amends just in time for the most important trope of all: a blissfully happy ending. All characters seem to be White by default.
Exactly what the title promises. (Romance. 12-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-6762-0
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK TO SCREEN
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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