Solid entertainment.
In an effort to save the school’s arts program, Natalie must partner up with her longtime rival, Reid.
Natalie Jacobson has always treated the theater, specifically writing and directing, as a casual pursuit, just for the fun of it. She’s afraid to get too invested after seeing the financial and emotional struggles of her parents: her school band director father and burned-out, formerly successful author mother. Natalie’s fear that the arts are not a sustainable career path is further confirmed after learning about budget cuts that eliminate her high school’s drama club—and ruin her chance to direct the play she co-wrote with a friend. She combines forces with kids from other cancelled arts groups to create a one-night show to convince the school board they made a mistake. Amid the planning, Natalie distracts herself with an ongoing prank war with Reid Callahan, her dad’s clarinet protégé. But when a prank goes wrong, they’re forced to work together on transforming her play into a musical, a process that eventually exposes their feelings for each other. First-person narration alternates between the present-day and the past, revealing the origins of Natalie’s rivalry with Reid. Her occasionally rash actions can make it difficult to sympathize with her, but overall, the sweet romance (and talented theater kids!) will charm readers. Natalie and Reid are White and Jewish, and the novel deftly addresses microaggressions and antisemitism; supporting characters have a range of racial and sexual identities.
Solid entertainment. (Romance. 12-18)Pub Date: Sept. 21, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-4580-2
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2021
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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