An engaging but unevenly paced story about perseverance and solidarity.
A 15-year-old Minnesota girl knows exactly what she wants, but life is about to show her that there may be more than one way of getting there.
High-achieving Madison has a plan, specifically The Plan, mapped out in her Life Notebook, detailing exactly what steps she needs to take to reach her dream of becoming a political campaign manager. First, she needs to successfully manage the campaign to get Jade, her girlfriend, elected as their school’s next junior class president, which will help her earn a scholarship to attend the Youth Politics Boot Camp, which will in turn increase her chances of getting into her dream college, Georgetown. However, Madison’s plans are thrown off course when Jade both dumps and fires her. Determined to keep moving ahead, Madison quickly finds a promising new candidate in kind and intriguing Victoria. As the relationship between Madison and Victoria shows signs of budding into something more, everything seems to be falling back into place. But when Madison discovers a sexual harassment scandal within her school, she will once again have to fight to maintain control of her future. The supportive friendships between the multiple queer characters are endearing and refreshing. However, the pacing of more serious plot points feels unbalanced, with little time given for readers to become invested in and then digest these important events and themes before the story wraps up. Main characters are White.
An engaging but unevenly paced story about perseverance and solidarity. (resources) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 23, 2023
ISBN: 9781250845818
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023
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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