A well-conceived novel that delves into some potentially important issues for young adults.
Budding photographer Simon documents the end of his high school experience in this YA debut novel from the Pennyeach Collective.
It’s time for Simon’s high school graduation, but looking back at the last three years of his life isn’t easy considering all the friends he’ll have to say goodbye to. The novel opens with Simon reviewing an imagined photo album from his sophomore to senior years. The very first photo is from his sophomore year French class, when he began learning photography using his grandfather’s old Leica M3; around this time, he also became best friends with classmates Hailey Parker and Benji. At the time, Hailey harbored dreams of becoming a journalist, Benji rebelled against his conservative family, and Simon cautiously contemplated a future in art school. The dynamic among the three friends is tested when Hailey and Benji begin dating. But it isn’t until Hailey becomes pregnant during their senior year that everything changes. She decides she wants an abortion, but the procedure can’t be done in Ohio because her family might find out. So with the help of Hailey’s friend Kaylee, they all set out on a road trip to New Mexico (where abortions can be given without parental consent) that will change the course of their lives forever. Obviously taking into account the sensitive nature of Hailey’s determination to have an abortion, the narration retains a respectful distance from the tougher details of her experience, especially as the story is told from Simon’s perspective. The author is guilty of some heavy-handed foreshadowing as Simon describes his early high school travails. Overall, however, Simon’s speech and actions feel authentically teenage: “I guess I was naive, but I thought for sure they’d end up getting married some day. And this picture captures that moment when I bet Hailey and Benji would’ve said the same.” The novel may remind readers of John Green’s Paper Towns (2013), especially the road-trip scenes. The absence of the actual photos that Simon describes leaves space for readers to imagine the characters in their own ways, though perhaps the addition of a visual component would make the photo album experience come to life.
A well-conceived novel that delves into some potentially important issues for young adults.Pub Date: Dec. 5, 2022
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 223
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: March 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A visceral, weighty read.
An unflinching portrayal of the complexities of one teenager’s journey through alcoholism and recovery.
Bella took her first drink when she was 11. Now she’s 15, and she and her friends have perfected the art of asking strangers outside liquor stores to buy them booze. It’s the best way to cope with her parents’ fighting, the grief and trauma of watching her beloved grandmother die, acting as a caregiver to her younger sister, and getting dumped by her first boyfriend, who said she was “too much.” A party a few weeks ago led to the drunken mess of a night known as Bella’s Extremely Unfortunate Public Downfall, after which her mom ruled: “no drinking, no parties.” But Bella’s parents are divorced, and when she’s staying with her permissive and inattentive dad, who’ll stop her? After Bella blacks out at a Thanksgiving party and her friends drop her on her mom’s stoop, she ends up hospitalized with alcohol poisoning and a broken face. Her mom sends her to an outdoorsy rehab center with a program focused on building self-awareness and self-reliance. Bella’s experiences with the program and her fellow residents are depicted with realistic nuance; nothing comes easily, and Glasgow carefully addresses relapses, anxiety disorder, self-harm, and death. After Bella’s treatment ends, she discovers that returning to her life may be the most significant challenge of all. Most characters are cued white.
A visceral, weighty read. (author’s note, resources) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9780525708087
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
PERSPECTIVES
A great read offering entertainment, encouragement, and plenty to reflect upon.
A gay teen contends with time travel—and homophobia through the decades.
All Cuban American Luis wants is to be prom king with his boyfriend, but tiny upstate New York boarding school Antic Springs Academy, with its strict, Christian code of conduct, won’t even let them hold hands in public. After a disastrous prom committee meeting at which his attempt to make the event welcoming of queer couples is rejected by the principal, Luis gets quite literally knocked into the past—specifically, ASA in the year 1985. There he meets Chaz, a Black student who attended the school at the same time as Luis’ parents and who died under mysterious circumstances after being bullied for his sexuality. Luis now faces a choice between changing the past to help Chaz and preserving his own future existence. Fortunately, he has Ms. Silverthorn, a Black English teacher and beloved mentor, who offers him support in both timelines. The narrative explores the impacts of homophobia and being closeted, remaining optimistic without shying away from the more brutal aspects. Luis is a multifaceted character with an engaging voice whose flaws are confronted and examined throughout. The solid pacing and pleasant, fluid prose make this a page-turner. Luis’ boyfriend is cued as Chinese American, and his best friend is nonbinary; there is some diversity in ethnicity and sexuality in background characters, although the school is predominantly White.
A great read offering entertainment, encouragement, and plenty to reflect upon. (author's note) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 4, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0710-5
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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