A fun, banter-filled story about getting revenge and finding love—and maybe yourself—along the way.
When a revenge plot goes south, a teen must turn to an unlikely ally for help.
Tired of feeling invisible, best friends Freddie and Stella hatch a plan to dethrone their former friend turned popular girl, Levi, and prevent her from winning their school’s prestigious scholarship award, which she’s coveted for years. They adopt new “hot girl” personas, weasel their way in with Levi’s friends, and engage in sabotage to bring Levi down. But when Stella takes things too far, Freddie realizes that the plan is spiraling out of control, and she must turn to Levi for help. As Freddie and Levi spend more time together, old feelings between them rise to the surface, and Freddie faces new questions about her friendship with Stella and what she wants for herself. The novel is witty and, delightfully, draws upon beloved movie tropes, which film-obsessed Freddie points out on-page. Freddie’s journey to becoming her own person outside of her friendship with Stella is satisfying and includes a swoonworthy slow-burn romance with Levi. Unfortunately, the ending feels rushed, with all the conflicts neatly (and unrealistically) resolved. Horne introduces themes of power and privilege but doesn’t fully explore them. Freddie, Stella, and Levi are queer and cued white; there’s some racial diversity among the supporting cast.
A fun, banter-filled story about getting revenge and finding love—and maybe yourself—along the way. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 27, 2026
ISBN: 9781250377371
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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
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