Witty prose and snappy patter don’t elevate this latest in the Drama! series to much above the level of fluff, although it certainly will appeal to many young readers who enjoy stories of teen friendship and rivalries. Ruditis (Rainbow Party, 2005) emphasizes relationships far above the purported theatrical theme of the book. Given two weeks to prepare monologues and scenes to win a spot in a major acting school, the characters demonstrate their devotion to their craft by blowing off rehearsals in favor of their personal and emotional problems. The villains are obvious and over the top, although Ruditis provides one nice twist involving them at the end. Too many characters confuse the presentation, and the attempts to describe acting performances fall prey to the same difficulties authors face in describing music: It just doesn’t translate into print. Ruditis does, however, write cleverly, and that’s probably enough to attract an audience. (Fiction. YA)
Pub Date: Oct. 2, 2007
ISBN: 978-1-4169-3392-2
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2007
BOOK REVIEW
A sexy thriller where the ultimate prize is finding and embracing the truth—even if it’s difficult to understand.
A young woman must unlearn everything she knows about her parents in order to find the truth.
River, the daughter of a Filipino father and a white mother, finds her world irrevocably changed when her mother goes missing and her father dies in a house fire during her senior year of high school. She’s left with an additional mystery after an anonymous person donates $2,000,000 to her GoFundMe fundraiser. Together with her best friend, Tawny, her ex, Noah, and her new love interest, Logan, all of whom are cued white, River dives into her parents’ pasts. However, as she investigates, she realizes that everyone has a secret—and no one can be trusted. In this fast-paced thriller, Harlow captures the complexities of human emotions from grief to love. Her characters are well developed, especially Logan, who has an ideal blend of depth and attractiveness. Tawny, who’s adopted, has experienced grief of her own. Together, the characters move the plot with increasing speed through jaw-dropping twists. Letters incorporated into the story present other points of view, bringing texture to the story and increasing readers’ uncertainty about whom to believe. Harlow skillfully weaves together a page-turning mystery that’s enhanced by River and Logan’s steamy and passionate relationship.
A sexy thriller where the ultimate prize is finding and embracing the truth—even if it’s difficult to understand. (Romantic thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780593855942
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
A haunting page-turner that smartly explores the complexities of teenage relationships and feelings of self-worth.
When police investigate a teenage girl’s supposed suicide, New Helvetia High’s most exclusive friend group comes under scrutiny.
The Thrashers are high school royalty. Zack Thrasher (the group’s namesake), Lucy Reed, Paige Montgomery, and Julian Hollister are wealthy and attractive. Jodi Dillon, who feels ordinary by comparison, has been friends with Zack since childhood. Not just anyone can become a Thrasher, but that was Emily Mills’ goal. After Emily is found dead the evening of prom, rumors circulate around school that she was Thrashed—socially ostracized—for trying to join the clique. Everything starts to unravel after investigators find Emily’s journal detailing how she was bullied by all of them—except Jodi, who rebuffed her. Jodi feels compelled to seek the truth surrounding Emily’s death without implicating her friends, but the more she learns, the more she doubts their credibility. The story’s careful, highly effective pacing contributes to the increasingly unsettling tension as strange and terrifying incidents occur. Readers who empathize with insecure Jodi are kept in suspense until the end, feeling relief whenever the others show genuine care for her while nervously anticipating the possibility that harm may befall her. Main characters largely present white. Lucy has brown skin, and Jodi is cued as white and Latine.
A haunting page-turner that smartly explores the complexities of teenage relationships and feelings of self-worth. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9781250377173
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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