An intense read that’s packed with adventure, humor, and lots of soul.
Breakups are awful, but they are even worse when your ex hustles off to another continent.
Seventeen-year-old Sayyed Nizam, a recent high school graduate, is left behind in Los Angeles, twiddling the ring his ex-boyfriend, Farouk, gave him and dealing with Baba, his harsh father, who governs the household with a firm hand. But one day at Sy’s cafe job, help arrives with a literal bang with the dramatic appearance of mysterious Reggie, a wealthy and eccentric English teen heiress in distress who offers him three wishes in exchange for his help (and an egg salad sandwich). After Baba discovers he is gay and kicks him out of their house, Sy finds himself on a private plane with Reggie, crossing the ocean to London in search of Farouk. As the story alternates between the struggles faced by present-day Sy and flashbacks to scenes from Sy and Farouk’s charming romance, it also tells a parallel heroic quest through the story “Hamza and the Djinn.” Replete with pop-culture references, elements of fabulism, and dollops of romance, Kutub’s debut is ambitious. It succeeds in covering a gamut of themes, including what it’s like being brown-skinned and facing Islamophobia, experiencing heady first love, and exploring one’s identity. As Indian American Muslim Sy recalibrates his idea of family and love, he discovers facets of himself and his relationships, adding poignancy to the story that packs a punch.
An intense read that’s packed with adventure, humor, and lots of soul. (Fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: June 21, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0917-8
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: April 12, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
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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