An edge-of-your-seat thriller with a deeply satisfying ending and a message that lingers.
A gripping mystery that addresses deeper social issues.
American college students Josh Reuter and Amelia Ashley had a wonderful European adventure—or they should have, but they got in a fight, and at the end of the trip, Amelia never boarded the plane in Rome to head back to California. On top of his girlfriend’s abandonment, implied White Josh is dealing with lost baggage. Meanwhile, attractive blond foodie influencer Amelia’s nearly 1.5 million Instagram followers are saying that she’s missing, and the hashtags about her disappearance are going viral. With questions piling up, Josh becomes the prime suspect even in the eyes of his friends, and he must prove his innocence to the police as evidence against him starts appearing. One of Amelia’s friends asks Harper Delgado, a brown-skinned San Diego State sophomore and well-connected hacker, to search for Amelia in ways the police can’t. Harper scours Amelia’s online content for clues and finds a disturbing unlisted video that puts her on the right track for discovering the truth about the couple’s relationship. Playing with different points of view and narrative tools, including prose, descriptions of videos, blog posts, and diary entries, the book will draw readers in through its engaging storytelling and compelling characters they can’t help but care about. The novel probes questions of the types of victims who garner public sympathy and those who are overlooked.
An edge-of-your-seat thriller with a deeply satisfying ending and a message that lingers. (Mystery. 14-adult)Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-4549-4764-6
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Union Square & Co.
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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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