A slow-paced novel that takes on weighty topics.
Star diver Ingrid is trying to figure out why she had her first diving accident.
The Austin high school junior, who has a concussion and insomnia, is desperate to remember what she saw right before she fell that threw her off so she can feel confident returning to practice. The teen and her mom are barely managing on Ingrid’s nurse mom’s salary. Diving is Ingrid’s passion and her last connection to her estranged dad, a former diver himself. Ever since they witnessed the humiliation of her father’s leaving, Ingrid has distanced herself from the three neighbor boys who had been her closest friends in their affluent cul-de-sac, but now she is drawn back to Van, her former best friend and the boy she is secretly in love with. When Van, seeing her light on every night, confesses that he too has insomnia, they begin to spend late hours in Ingrid’s room while her mom is at work. Their romance grows even as they figure out what is going on with clandestine activities taking place in the empty house next door. A secondary theme regarding an inappropriate adult-teen sexual relationship is unfortunately not thoroughly explored. Ingrid’s deep exploration of her emotions feels realistic, but the deliberate, earnest, night-by-night description of Ingrid and Van’s relationship plods along. Most characters are presumed White. Ingrid’s father is Jewish, and her mother is a Swedish immigrant; Van is biracial (Japanese and White).
A slow-paced novel that takes on weighty topics. (Fiction. 14-17)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-25735-2
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: June 19, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020
An emotionally engaging closer that fumbles in its final moments.
Lara Jean prepares for college and a wedding.
Korean-American Lara Jean is finally settled into a nice, complication-free relationship with her white boyfriend, Peter. But things don’t stay simple for long. When college acceptance letters roll in, Peter and Lara Jean discover they’re heading in different directions. As the two discuss the long-distance thing, Lara Jean’s widower father is making a major commitment: marrying the neighbor lady he’s been dating. The whirlwind of a wedding, college visits, prom, and the last few months of senior year provides an excellent backdrop for this final book about Lara Jean. The characters ping from event to event with emotions always at the forefront. Han further develops her cast, pushing them to new maturity and leaving few stones unturned. There’s only one problem here, and it’s what’s always held this series back from true greatness: Peter. Despite Han’s best efforts to flesh out Peter with abandonment issues and a crummy dad, he remains little more than a handsome jock. Frankly, Lara Jean and Peter may have cute teen chemistry, but Han's nuanced characterizations have often helped to subvert typical teen love-story tropes. This knowing subversion is frustratingly absent from the novel's denouement.
An emotionally engaging closer that fumbles in its final moments. (Romance. 14-17)Pub Date: May 2, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4814-3048-7
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
Several yards short of a touchdown.
A transgender boy starting over at a new school falls hard for a popular cheerleader with a reputation to protect in this debut.
On the first day of senior year, transgender boy Pony locks eyes with cisgender cheerleader Georgia. They both have pasts they want to leave behind. No one at Hillcrest High knows that Pony is transgender, and he intends to keep it that way. Georgia’s last boyfriend shook her trust in boys, and now she’s determined to forget him. As mutual attraction draws them together, Pony and Georgia must decide what they are willing to risk for a relationship. Pony’s best friend, Max, who is also transgender, disapproves of Pony’s choice to live stealth; this disagreement leads to serious conflict in their relationship. Meanwhile, Georgia and Pony behave as if Pony’s trans identity was a secret he was lying to her about rather than private information for him to share of his own volition. The characters only arrive at a hopeful resolution after Pony pays high physical and emotional prices. McSmith places repeated emphasis on the born-in-the-wrong-body narrative when the characters discuss trans identities. Whiteness is situated as the norm, and all main characters are white.
Several yards short of a touchdown. (Fiction. 14-17)Pub Date: May 26, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-294317-0
Page Count: 368
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
