Anderson creates a spellbinding landscape but then leaves it achingly underexplored.
Reality blurs into nightmare when a dream-walking girl breaks all the rules to help the boy she loves.
Dea and her mother never stay in one place for very long. The sleepy town of Fielding, Indiana, they live in now doesn’t offer anything noteworthy other than their own existence within it. Dea and her mother can walk through other people’s dreams. In fact, not walking for long periods of time can cause their health to decline radically. Her mother has only three rules: never intervene in another person’s dream, never walk the same person’s dream more than once, and never, ever be seen. If she disobeys, her mother warns, monsters will find her. Dea plays along until the arrival of an attractive new neighbor, Connor; and she becomes obsessed with walking his dreams as often as she can. But Connor harbors his own monsters he’s been hiding from, monsters Dea quickly realizes are now her problem as well. Their relationship builds at a steady but slow clip. The story soars only when tensions rise and Dea must exit reality to walk deeper into the unknown, dark realm of dreams. The sights and secrets she finds there are breathtaking to behold and more inspiring than the romance. Readers will wish she’d dived down the rabbit hole sooner.
Anderson creates a spellbinding landscape but then leaves it achingly underexplored. (Fantasy. 14 & up)Pub Date: Sept. 22, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-06-233867-9
Page Count: 336
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: June 5, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2015
A classic rags-to-riches romantic comedy with irresistible chemistry and heart.
A surprise inheritance thrusts a small-town Nebraska teen into Manhattan’s elite society—and the orbit of a boy who’s determined to prove she doesn’t belong.
Julia Lowell’s life changes overnight when the 80-something man they know as Lou leaves his fortune to her family instead of his New York City relatives. Lou, who lived in a fishing cabin, was a regular customer of the Lowells’ small grocery store and became a family friend. To inherit, they must live in his Upper West Side home for at least six months, and Julia and her twin brother must attend Gardenwood Academy, a Gossip Girl–esque private school. Julia struggles to navigate her rude, privileged classmates—like Damion Rutledge. Unbeknownst to her, Lou—whose real name was Remington—was Damion’s beloved great-uncle. When a teacher assigns Damion to be Julia’s math tutor, he seizes the opportunity to search Uncle Remi’s house, which he believes is his by right, for evidence of the Lowells’ deceit. But as suspicion gives way to genuine feelings, Julia and Damion, who are cued white, question their assumptions about one another. Painter delivers her signature blend of banter, slow-burn chemistry, and emotionally grounded characters. Told in the leads’ alternating points of view, the familiar enemies-to-lovers setup is complicated by Damion’s secret and Julia’s past heartbreak. While the story follows a predictable path and resolution, the central relationship feels earned and heartfelt.
A classic rags-to-riches romantic comedy with irresistible chemistry and heart. (soundtrack) (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2026
ISBN: 9798347100217
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2026
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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