A strong series kickoff for fans of quirky, slice-of-life romantic comedies.
Expected to make an advantageous marriage, Jade Galbaud du Fort is far more interested in powerlifting.
Born into an upper-crust French family in an alternate world that creatively blends contemporary elements with some historical social customs and aesthetics, young noblewoman Jade is forced to attend numerous balls at which her mother introduces her to eligible suitors. While dancing with snobby Nathaniel, Jade makes a big mistake. Irritated with his obnoxious, nonstop chatter, she picks him up in an overhead lift—and accidentally tosses him into a table of refreshments. Her passion for building muscles—deemed inappropriate for a socialite—must be kept secret, especially as her family is in dire financial straits, so to protect her reputation, light-skinned Jade, who has orange hair and green eyes, exclaims that being swept up in love momentarily gave her extraordinary strength. But rumors abound that she’s taking drugs meant for horses. She must navigate relationships with friends, enemies, and Alexander, an attractive—and super strong—stable boy, who’s cued Spanish. This humorous, heartfelt compilation of entries from a comic series that was originally released on WEBTOON features simple and appealing cartoon art, big emotions, and intriguing characters. Readers will anticipate the resolution of storylines in future volumes; the romance and class conflicts are just getting started here. The robust cast of secondary characters have their own insecurities, which are explored as their friendships with Jade deepen.
A strong series kickoff for fans of quirky, slice-of-life romantic comedies. (character profiles) (Graphic romance. 13-18)Pub Date: May 5, 2026
ISBN: 9781419777820
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Abrams Fanfare
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2026
A light and entertaining plot-driven romance.
A Connecticut girl and her best friend devise a series of plans in order to achieve their goals: following a dream and winning back an ex.
Eighteen-year-old Audrey Barbour has a Master Plan: attend Blue Ridge Glass School in North Carolina and someday turn her Etsy shop, Golightly Glass, into a thriving business. But her uber-wealthy parents insist that she instead follow in their footsteps and go to business school. So Audrey decides to go find the tuition money she needs with help from her best friend, Henry Chen. Henry needs a favor, too: He hopes that fake dating Audrey will help him win back his ex-girlfriend, and he points out to a reluctant Audrey that this could make her crush, Griffin, notice her. While Audrey’s parents vacation in France for three weeks, the pair rent out the Barbour mansion on the Long Island Sound. Soon romantic chemistry grows alongside their business partnership. Despite the pair’s great preparation and an abundance of secondary characters with connections and talents to help pull off their increasingly ambitious ideas, plans go awry, leaving Audrey and Henry scrambling and second-guessing their choices. The pacing is even, but the characters often take a back seat to the whirlwind of activity that drives the plot, with the emphasis falling on each person’s practical skills and their role in keeping the action moving over their emotional bonds. Audrey is white, and Henry’s surname cues him as Chinese American.
A light and entertaining plot-driven romance. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: March 31, 2026
ISBN: 9780593904794
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Delacorte Romance
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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