Sidesplitting comic writing and an appealingly messy protagonist to root for.
A young Australian woman leaves her small town for university in Melbourne—only to have to face her past in a romantic comedy that brings the rom and tons of the com.
Harper, whose grandparents own the house Brooke has moved into, has set three rules: “no pets; no romance between housemates; and no unnecessary drama.” The two young women meet for the first time when Brooke moves in, but when the third housemate arrives, it’s someone Brooke knows: Jesse. The same Jesse who jilted and publicly humiliated her when they were 14, after she experienced her first kiss with him. He became her secretly sworn enemy through the rest of their school days. Rule-follower Brooke does her best to avoid Jesse in order to prevent Harper’s sensing any drama, but the two slowly get pulled into spending time together. Brooke is determined to hold on to her grudge, but Jesse proves himself worthy of redemption, rekindling feelings that have lain dormant for the past five years. Following numerous comedic missteps and beloved rom-com tropes, including “enemies to lovers” and “boy next door,” the story culminates in a satisfyingly romantic ending. The hilarious scenes are cinematically portrayed, and the first-person narrative is heightened by Brooke’s funny, anxious, distinctive inner monologue. All main characters present White.
Sidesplitting comic writing and an appealingly messy protagonist to root for. (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Aug. 8, 2023
ISBN: 9781250894427
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
A deeply moving account of love in its many forms.
A senior contends with first love and heartache in this spectacular debut.
Sensitive, smart Frank Li is under a lot of pressure. His Korean immigrant parents have toiled ceaselessly, running a convenience store in a mostly black and Latinx Southern California neighborhood, for their children’s futures. Frank’s older sister fulfilled their parents’ dreams—making it to Harvard—but when she married a black man, she was disowned. So when Frank falls in love with a white classmate, he concocts a scheme with Joy, the daughter of Korean American family friends, who is secretly seeing a Chinese American boy: Frank and Joy pretend to fall for each other while secretly sneaking around with their real dates. Through rich and complex characterization that rings completely true, the story highlights divisions within the Korean immigrant community and between communities of color in the U.S., cultural rifts separating immigrant parents and American-born teens, and the impact on high school peers of society’s entrenched biases. Yoon’s light hand with dialogue and deft use of illustrative anecdotes produce a story that illuminates weighty issues by putting a compassionate human face on struggles both universal and particular to certain identities. Frank’s best friend is black and his white girlfriend’s parents are vocal liberals; Yoon’s unpacking of the complexity of the racial dynamics at play is impressive—and notably, the novel succeeds equally well as pure romance.
A deeply moving account of love in its many forms. (Fiction. 14-adult)Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-984812-20-9
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: June 29, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
Gripping and authentic in the ways it portrays grief and shows how moving forward means having to let go.
After her father dies, a teen drops out of high school, loses her job, and embarks on a four-week journey through the California backcountry.
Everyone in the Bear Creek Community Service program is assigned a nickname as part of starting over with “a blank slate.” No one needs to know your past or whether you’re there by choice or court order. All that matters is the present: working on hiking trail maintenance. For Atlas James, or Maps, as she’s now known, it’s an escape from the poor decisions she’s made since her father’s death from cancer and a tribute to him. One of his dying wishes was to hike the Western Sierra Trail with her—the same one she’ll now be spending the summer working on with Books, Junior, Sugar, and King. Maps is immediately drawn to group leader King, and as secrets are revealed, the two act as magnets, attracting and repelling one another. Maps’ tangible grief is centered as she copes with the loss of the only person who understood her and always had her back. Gradually, as they clear brush, dig drainage, and battle the backcountry and their pasts, a sense of family is forged among the crew. The palpable romantic tension between King and Maps propels this beautifully written story. Junior is coded Black; other major characters read white.
Gripping and authentic in the ways it portrays grief and shows how moving forward means having to let go. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 9, 2024
ISBN: 9780063088580
Page Count: 336
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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