A surefire goal for romance readers.
Ahead of a date with her crush, a high school junior fake dates her childhood friend in hopes of identifying what “makes guys go from [her] to relationship goals.”
Dru Eason is dealing with a lot. Her soccer team made it to the playoffs, but there’s infighting. Her sister Moriah is close to having a wedding meltdown, and both her sisters act like Dru, the baby of the family, can’t do anything right. Excitingly, her crush, Kai Waller, actually likes her back—but she’s launched every boyfriend she’s ever had into a perfect relationship with another girl. So, when Kai asks her out, she panics and pretends her team has a no-dating pact through playoffs to buy herself some time to figure out how she’s ruining her relationships. She asks childhood friend Winston—whose brother is marrying Moriah—to be her fake boyfriend and help her identify where she’s going wrong. But Winston is way better at this boyfriend thing than Dru expected—and things quickly get complicated. This sweet romance centering on a majority Black cast will make any romance reader giddy. The writing is stellar—Garrett skillfully crafts realistic characters readers will want to root for—but the story shines most in its introspective moments, particularly explorations of Dru’s romantic and familial relationships. Unfortunately, the reflection that drives change comes too late, making the story drag in the middle and Dru’s growth feel slightly truncated.
A surefire goal for romance readers. (Romance. 12-18)Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2026
ISBN: 9780316372442
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
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
Exactly what the title promises.
A grieving teen’s devotion to romance films might ruin her chances at actual romance.
Liz Buxbaum has always adored rom-coms, not least for helping her still feel close to her screenwriter mother, who died when she was little. Liz hopes that her senior year might turn into a real-life romantic fantasy, as an old crush has moved back to town, cuter and nicer than ever. Surely she can get Michael to ask her to prom. If only Wes, the annoying boy next door, would help her with her scheming! This charming, fluffy concoction manages to pack into one goofy plot every conceivable trope, from fake dating to the makeover to the big misunderstanding. Creative, quirky, daydreaming Liz is just shy of an annoying stereotype, saved by a dry wit and unresolved grief and anger. Wes makes for a delightful bad boy with a good heart, and supporting characters—including a sassy best friend, a perfect popular rival, even a (not really) evil stepmother—all get the opportunity to transcend their roles. The only villain here is Liz’s lovelorn imagination, provoking her into foolish lies that cause actual hurt feelings; but she is sufficiently self-aware to make amends just in time for the most important trope of all: a blissfully happy ending. All characters seem to be White by default.
Exactly what the title promises. (Romance. 12-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-6762-0
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
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