An effervescent romance that captures the rush of feeling not only seen but known.
A Virginia teen vows to destroy the social capital of the popular boy who broke her sister’s heart.
Wren Richardson, a Black high school senior, is ready to leave predominantly white Ryland Prep behind. She and her Salvadoran best friend, Chelsie, plan to move to Los Angeles and carve out film careers. But first, they need to pass their Studies in Film and Literature class. Wren’s “dream course” is quickly ruined by the arrival of Beckett Lane, who’s Samoan and implied white. Unlike her younger sister, Kennedy, and most of the other girls at school, Wren is immune to Beckett’s spell. She clocks him for who he really is: a womanizing nepo baby (his father was an actor in a popular TV series). When Kennedy is rejected by Beckett at a house party and a video humiliating her is posted to social media, an incensed Wren promises to avenge her sister by making a scathing documentary exposing Beckett’s true nature. But as she forges ahead with Operation Expose Beckett, she starts to question whether the Beckett she knows is just a mask. With the effortless charm of a classic teen rom-com, this story about miscommunication and misguided prejudices features nuanced character development and a well-earned payoff in the final act. Wren’s family dynamics present realistic challenges, and her relationship with Beckett shows how they help each other grow.
An effervescent romance that captures the rush of feeling not only seen but known. (Romance. 13-18)Pub Date: May 5, 2026
ISBN: 9781665970860
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
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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