An awkward, heartbreaking, and uplifting drama of teenage life.
Four best friends face difficulties and hard choices in this high school drama told through a series of journal entries in Nalchajian’s YA novel.
Sixteen-year-old Mackenzie “Mack” Stewart has a secret. For the past six months, she has been struggling with an undiagnosed eating disorder. Determined to gain control of her body, Mack begins a food journal in an effort to stick to her New Year’s resolution: “Stop doing things that are bad for me!” This computer log quickly grows from a personal account of food consumption to a chronicle of her high school life with her three best friends, London, Rachel, and Skye. Nalchajian expertly guides the reader through a whirlwind of crushes, parties, and family drama in which Mack discovers that she’s not the only one with a secret among the people she knows, and that she doesn’t have to face her own alone. In this diarylike novel sprinkled with emojis, charts, self-interviews, and straightforward scenes, Mack discovers the severity of her self-destructive behaviors and embarks on a journey of self-love and acceptance. Although the narrative at times moves at a breakneck pace, Nalchajian manages to balance its speed with skillful characterization and engaging prose: “I wish I could explain these thoughts more realistically….When I write, they sound sequential and logical, but inside it all happens practically at once, like a bunch of people talking over each other.” Overall, it’s a novel that offers a creative take on a sensitive topics, including self-harm, while also maintaining a sharp sense of humor. As a result, it’s likely that this volume will speak to the hearts of adults and teenagers alike.
An awkward, heartbreaking, and uplifting drama of teenage life.Pub Date: Oct. 31, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-953435-08-8
Page Count: 449
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in.
Black is back with another dark tale of Faerie, this one set in Faerie and launching a new trilogy.
Jude—broken, rebuilt, fueled by anger and a sense of powerlessness—has never recovered from watching her adoptive Faerie father murder her parents. Human Jude (whose brown hair curls and whose skin color is never described) both hates and loves Madoc, whose murderous nature is true to his Faerie self and who in his way loves her. Brought up among the Gentry, Jude has never felt at ease, but after a decade, Faerie has become her home despite the constant peril. Black’s latest looks at nature and nurture and spins a tale of court intrigue, bloodshed, and a truly messed-up relationship that might be the saving of Jude and the titular prince, who, like Jude, has been shaped by the cruelties of others. Fierce and observant Jude is utterly unaware of the currents that swirl around her. She fights, plots, even murders enemies, but she must also navigate her relationship with her complex family (human, Faerie, and mixed). This is a heady blend of Faerie lore, high fantasy, and high school drama, dripping with description that brings the dangerous but tempting world of Faerie to life.
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in. (Fantasy. 14-adult)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-316-31027-7
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
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