An engaging and suspenseful read.
Two young women’s lives collide after a gruesome murder.
Twenty-one-year-old Inez works as a maid and sex worker in Asheville, North Carolina. Following the death of her mother, she’s been scraping by, dreaming of a better future, when she finds herself involved in something horrible…that involves a lot of blood. Meanwhile, 16-year-old Roxie is an amateur detective and a scholarship student at an elite Catholic girls’ school where she doesn’t quite fit in. Known for helping her classmates find things (for a fee), she’s approached by her former bully, Kirsten, for help locating the person who stole her phone. Roxie reluctantly agrees, but when she arrives at Kirsten’s house to learn more, she discovers Kirsten’s brutally murdered body and quickly becomes a person of interest in the investigation. At the same time, Roxie gets drawn (with her aunt and ex–FBI agent uncle) into a search for her late great-aunt’s hidden diamond necklace. The treasure hunt game, a family tradition, leads to Roxie’s discovering connections between her family and Kirsten’s. As Roxie grapples with trauma from her childhood and Inez’s and Roxie’s paths converge, Roxie pieces together a web of secrets tying them both to the crime. Told through alternating perspectives, this fast-paced mystery builds a trail of clues, culminating in a jaw-dropping conclusion that’s bigger than both Roxie and Inez. Main characters are cued white, and racial diversity is represented among secondary characters.
An engaging and suspenseful read. (“The Robber Bridegroom”) (Mystery. 16-adult)Pub Date: June 24, 2025
ISBN: 9780593406298
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK TO SCREEN
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
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