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
Ultimately, a deeply engaging and rewarding story.
Crushes, missteps and genuine loyalty on the road to deep friendship.
As she enters her senior year of high school, Amy—hemiplegic due to an aneurism following her premature birth and near the top of her class—uses her augmentative and assistive communication device to argue successfully that she needs peer helpers in school rather than adult aides. Her mother, Nicole, is dubious, but Amy knows which buttons to push: “If I’m going to go to college, I need to practice relating to people my own age.” Amy particularly wants to work with Matthew, whose unvarnished honesty fascinates her. Unlike her awkward relationships with her other peer helpers, Amy develops a real friendship with Matthew immediately. Due to their frank conversation and Amy’s quick discovery of Matthew’s OCD, their relationship is balanced and reciprocal, though their growing mutual affection goes largely unaddressed. Unlike its most obvious read-alike, The Fault in Our Stars, this is not a tragic romance: Amy and Matthew’s relationship is messy, fraught and tantalizing, but it’s not threatened with imminent death. McGovern’s triumph is how well she normalizes and highlights the variety of disability experiences among teens and their often circuitous journeys toward claiming their voices and right to self-determination. It’s slightly overplotted and occasionally heavy-handed, but it’s easy to forgive these flaws.
Ultimately, a deeply engaging and rewarding story. (Romance. 14-17)Pub Date: June 3, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-06-227110-5
Page Count: 352
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: April 8, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2014
Teen romance fans on the hunt for a flirty fix will find plenty to enjoy in this sexy, fun beach read.
Tia Cruz doesn’t live by a lot of rules.
She’s the first to arrive to a party and the last to leave. Her aversion to responsibility carries over to school, where she keeps her photographic memory on the down low and intentionally scores a C in Spanish despite being bilingual. But Tia’s no-strings-attached playbook gets put to the test when Will Matthews moves to town. Sparks fly when the two meet, and the one-night stand that follows is both inevitable and swoon-worthy. But despite their undeniable chemistry, Tia is determined not to break the one rule she does live by: Never get attached. Tia’s reasons for never wanting a boyfriend are deep-rooted, and perhaps that is why she is able to convince herself that she’s fine when Will lands himself another girl. Plus, girlfriend or not, Tia and Will can’t seem to keep their hands off each other at band practice. But when the senior class votes them “Biggest Flirts,” things get serious, and Tia is forced to choose between her feelings and her fears. Tia’s breezy narration carries readers through the book with a witty profanity that doesn’t quite cover up her insecurity and ably shows off her innate smarts.
Teen romance fans on the hunt for a flirty fix will find plenty to enjoy in this sexy, fun beach read. (Fiction. 14-17)Pub Date: May 20, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4424-7446-8
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 30, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2014
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