Equal parts sweet romance and thought-provoking story of self-discovery.
A magical app gives Maggie insight into the hearts and minds of her friends and family.
Maggie Scott thinks she’s meeting her boyfriend, Theo Kallis, for a promposal only to be dumped because he’s tired of all the drama in their relationship. Leaving the coffee shop, she falls and breaks her foot. The injury sidelines her from her current and upcoming dance and stage performances, a fact that’s devastating to Maggie, who’s working toward a career in musical theater. Almost as bad is that her accident is witnessed by Theo’s best friend, Carson Lockwood, whom she can’t stand. Maggie decides to try to get Theo back—she hopes to glean ideas to rekindle his interest by remembering what originally brought them together the previous summer. A mysterious text takes her to the Best Day app, which, through simulations that follow the structure of a play, transport Maggie back in time. It also grants her access to people’s inner thoughts, including those of her parents, brother, and best friend as well as Carson and Theo. As a result, Maggie uncovers uncomfortable truths, including about her own behavior. Maggie is a well-developed character whose journey to self-knowledge is believable and earned. Her relationships with her family members are given equal weight as those with friends and romantic partners. Main characters are cued as White; Maggie’s best friend is Dominican and Irish American.
Equal parts sweet romance and thought-provoking story of self-discovery. (Romance. 12-18)Pub Date: Sept. 20, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0412-8
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2022
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
Exactly what the title promises.
A grieving teen’s devotion to romance films might ruin her chances at actual romance.
Liz Buxbaum has always adored rom-coms, not least for helping her still feel close to her screenwriter mother, who died when she was little. Liz hopes that her senior year might turn into a real-life romantic fantasy, as an old crush has moved back to town, cuter and nicer than ever. Surely she can get Michael to ask her to prom. If only Wes, the annoying boy next door, would help her with her scheming! This charming, fluffy concoction manages to pack into one goofy plot every conceivable trope, from fake dating to the makeover to the big misunderstanding. Creative, quirky, daydreaming Liz is just shy of an annoying stereotype, saved by a dry wit and unresolved grief and anger. Wes makes for a delightful bad boy with a good heart, and supporting characters—including a sassy best friend, a perfect popular rival, even a (not really) evil stepmother—all get the opportunity to transcend their roles. The only villain here is Liz’s lovelorn imagination, provoking her into foolish lies that cause actual hurt feelings; but she is sufficiently self-aware to make amends just in time for the most important trope of all: a blissfully happy ending. All characters seem to be White by default.
Exactly what the title promises. (Romance. 12-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-6762-0
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
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