An earnest, relatable, and affecting celebration of teenage yearning.
In this work adapted from the popular artist’s own high school diaries, lonely Phoebe joins a play and finds friendship and first love.
It is 2006 in Bellingham, Washington, and 15-year-old Phoebe is in love with three different boys. She is chubby with an “elfin pig nose,” obsessed with vintage fashion and indie rock, and desperately wants skinny jeans and a boyfriend. After spending freshman year on the sidelines (she’s a home-schooler taking “only the fun classes” at her local high school), Phoebe works up the courage to audition for the summer play. From there, her life opens up. There is a rainy ride home with Owen, rehearsals with David, and kisses on the cheek from unattainable Lukas (part of the script but still thrilling). As summer wanes, her crushes fade. There’s always another production, though, and when Phoebe makes the cast of the fall play, she finds herself dreaming about smart, serious “sex god” Sam and his chiseled jaw. Phoebe’s crushes dominate the narrative, but watching her friendships develop during gossipy sleepovers, cozy snowy days, and rowdy Passover seders is no less meaningful. The story, illustrated throughout, captures the anguish of wanting to belong, to feel at home in your body, and to give and receive pleasure. Wahl’s distinctive, instantly recognizable art adds humor and heart to each page. Most characters appear white; Phoebe and Sam are Jewish.
An earnest, relatable, and affecting celebration of teenage yearning. (author’s note) (Fiction. 14-adult)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9780316363563
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2023
PERSPECTIVES
A worthy second-chance romance.
In this follow-up to 2021’s Better Than the Movies, a 20-year-old college freshman gets a second chance at his dreams.
After the death of his father and his mother’s subsequent physical and emotional disappearance, Wes Bennett left behind all of his plans and the girl he made them with to go home and take care of Sarah, his younger sister. But now, Sarah has graduated, his mom is back on her feet, and by some miracle, Wes has an offer to pitch for UCLA’s baseball team. Liz Buxbaum, the girl he’s always loved, works for the university’s athletic department, taking photos and video of the team for social media, which means that maybe he can have a second chance at love, too. But since Wes left, Liz has made every effort to protect herself from ever feeling that broken again; there’s no room for love, because she doesn’t believe in it anymore. Or she doesn’t want to. This second-chance sports romance includes fake dates, quippy and quirky best friends, real heartache, and the sweet ache of first love. The clever dialogue keeps readers from drowning in the main characters’ emotional push-and-pull. Reading the first novel isn’t necessary for appreciating this one, although knowing the full history between Wes and Liz will only add to the ache and longing readers feel from and for them. Main characters are cued white.
A worthy second-chance romance. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781665947138
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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