A gripping tale of betrayal that will keep readers breathlessly turning pages.
In this tense thriller, an Ohio teen races against the clock to clear her name.
Seventeen-year-old Clara Cutler is haunted by the mistake two years ago that led to her arrest and ruined her reputation at school. Her only solace came in the form of golden-haired Lily Dalton, who’s beloved by teachers and students alike. Despite their differences—popular Lily comes from privilege, while Clara lives with her overworked single mother—the two forged an intense friendship. For Clara, Lily became everything. But their friendship shatters when Lily sets in motion a deliberately orchestrated series of events to frame Clara for plotting a violent attack on their classmates. Given Clara’s troubled past, the accusation sticks, and her carefully crafted plans to study pharmacy in college, born out of the desire to help lift her mother out of poverty, start to crumble. As rumors and accusations spread through the school and the police close in, Clara teams up with her crush, Henry Toussaint, who’s one of the few people who believes her. Together, they race to prove Clara’s innocence and uncover why Lily would want to try to destroy her so completely. The breakneck pacing and mounting tension are balanced by Clara’s and Henry’s unfolding romance. Clara and Lily present white, and Henry, who’s from Haiti, reads Black.
A gripping tale of betrayal that will keep readers breathlessly turning pages. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: March 17, 2026
ISBN: 9781728276038
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2026
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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