Naïve but endearing.
Lulu Wells has wanted to kill Alex Rouvelis for almost as long as she’s wanted to kiss him.
Sparks fly at the beginning of freshman year on election day as they compete for class president. But they become sworn enemies when vegan Lulu gets back at Alex, who won, for refusing to support her cause for a school garden—a moment she regrets when she realizes how much it hurts him. Alex gets his revenge by using presidential privilege to suggest that they go to a science museum for their freshman class field trip, knowing Lulu would hate it. Their romance blooms when they unconvincingly get stuck in the museum escape room and share their first kiss on the same day. From jealousy to first-time sex to respecting each other’s aspirations (Lulu is a graphic novelist, and Alex hopes for a baseball scholarship to avoid working forever in his family’s restaurant), their relationship throughout high school is anything but smooth. The narrative is mostly linear, alternating between four years of annual school field trips and flashback chapters that fill in the gaps. Supporting characters are two-dimensional and conveniently coupled up—the lack of single, independent characters throughout is unfortunate. Lulu is cued as white, and Alex is Greek American; Lulu’s best friend is gay, and there is some ethnic diversity in secondary characters.
Naïve but endearing. (Fiction. 13-16)Pub Date: May 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4926-8413-8
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Review Posted Online: Feb. 4, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020
An enjoyable, if predictable, romantic holiday story.
Is an exuberant extended family the cure for a breakup? Sophie is about to find out.
When Sophie unexpectedly breaks up with her boyfriend, she isn’t thrilled about spending the holidays at her grandparents’ house instead of with him. And when her grandmother forms a plan to distract Sophie from her broken heart—10 blind dates, each set up by different family members—she’s even less thrilled. Everyone gets involved with the matchmaking, even forming a betting pool on the success of each date. But will Sophie really find someone to fill the space left by her ex? Will her ex get wind of Sophie’s dating spree via social media and want them to get back together? Is that what she even wants anymore? This is a fun story of finding love, getting to know yourself, and getting to know your family. The pace is quick and light, though the characters are fairly shallow and occasionally feel interchangeable, especially with so many names involved. A Christmas tale, the plot is a fast-paced series of dinners, parties, and games, relayed in both narrative form and via texts, though the humor occasionally feels stiff and overwrought. The ending is satisfying, though largely unsurprising. Most characters default to white as members of Sophie’s Italian American extended family, although one of her cousins has a Filipina mother. One uncle is gay.
An enjoyable, if predictable, romantic holiday story. (Fiction. 13-16)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-368-02749-6
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2019
The Phantom of the Opera served as inspiration, but this wouldn’t last on Broadway.
Stephanie and her family move into an old mansion rumored to have been put under a curse after a turn-of-the-20th-century rich boy meddled with an Egyptian mummy.
After her young sister complains about strange events, high school student Stephanie befriends Lucas, a geeky, good-looking boy, and meets the other members of SPOoKy, the Scientific Paranormal Organization of Kentucky: Charlotte, Wes, and Patrick. Stephanie learns the history of her new home from Lucas, who attracts her romantic attention, but the usually levelheaded girl is soon drawn to Erik, the handsome phantom who first comes to her in dreams. The story is told in chapters narrated by Stephanie, Lucas, and Zedok, whose identity is initially a source of confusion to Stephanie. Zedok appears wearing different masks, “personified slivers” of his soul, representing states of mind such as Wrath, Madness, and Valor. Meanwhile, until gifted singer Stephanie came along and he could write songs for her, Erik’s dreams were thwarted; he wanted to be a composer but his family expected him to become a doctor. In the gothic horror tradition, Erik’s full background and connection with Zedok are slowly revealed. Romantic dream sequences are lush and swoon-y, but the long, drawn-out battle to end the curse, aided by a celebrity clairvoyant, is tedious, and the constant introduction of Erik’s different personae is confusing. Most characters default to White; Patrick is Black.
The Phantom of the Opera served as inspiration, but this wouldn’t last on Broadway. (Horror. 13-16)Pub Date: Aug. 17, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-11604-3
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: May 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
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