Raw and relevant; a book that belongs in the hands of any reader anxious about a new chapter.
A Long Island teen faces a tumultuous year.
In this stand-alone graphic novel, Esther “Essie” Rosen begins her senior year of high school with everything going for her: She’s dating handsome neighbor boy Bruno and is preparing her audition for the Tisch School of the Arts, which she hopes will lead to her dream of living in New York City near her best friend, who’s attending Columbia. But after her English teacher assigns a journal project spanning the full school year, Essie’s entries lead to a realization that her seemingly perfect life may be a carefully constructed facade. As events fail to unfold as planned, Essie must forge a new path for herself—even if it means defying her family’s and her own expectations when she falls for Christopher, a boy with a complicated link to her brother, whose difficulties challenge their mother’s insistence that “everything has to be perfect.” With its visceral, palpable angst, Miller’s tale will resonate with readers who have been at a crossroads. Beem’s dreamy blue-hued illustrations with watercolor flourishes are both alluring and stylish, bringing a decidedly cinematic feel. While the story contains elements of romance, it eschews a simple happily-ever-after resolution, and Essie’s final choices will stay with readers long after the final page is turned. Essie, who’s fat, is Jewish and presents white, Bruno reads Black, and Christopher is Chinese American.
Raw and relevant; a book that belongs in the hands of any reader anxious about a new chapter. (Graphic fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: March 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781250822307
Page Count: 256
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2025
PERSPECTIVES
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters.
When star hockey player Alec Barczewski’s estranged childhood friend, Dani Collins, moves to town, they end up in a mutually beneficial fake-dating relationship that reignites old feelings.
Following her parents’ divorce, Dani and her mom move in with Dani’s hockey legend grandfather in Southview, Minnesota, where she spent a month every summer as a child and where her friendship with Alec grew. Between visits, the two were pen pals, but they eventually fell out of touch. Despite some tensions over their loss of friendship, the high school seniors reconnect. Desperate to get off Harvard’s waitlist, Dani needs another extracurricular activity, while Alec—whose reputation took a hit when a photo of him holding a bong appeared on social media—is eager to improve his tarnished image for NHL scouts. The pair strike a deal: They’ll fake date, making Alec look like a stable guy whose academically gifted girlfriend is related to hockey royalty, and in exchange, he’ll get Dani a team manager position that will catch the eye of Harvard’s admissions officers. Eventually, complicated feelings about their past, stressful family relationships, and their brewing romance boil over. Romance fans will love the deliciously tension-filled scenes between Alec and Dani, who are believable friends with heavy demands weighing on them. They feel like real teenagers, and readers will enjoy rooting for them as the well-paced story unfolds. Main characters present white.
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
ISBN: 9781665921268
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
A winning game of feelingsball.
A former football star, who never thought she’d play again after she came out as transgender, steps back onto the field for one last season to help her team win state.
Grace Woodhouse used to know where she belonged. She had Division I schools lined up to recruit her, but that was before what happened during playoffs last year, before she came out as trans, and before she quit the team. Although her single father and new friend group support her, Grace feels lost as her senior year begins. When one of her old teammates asks her to help him with his technique, she quickly realizes that he and the other captains are hoping for more than her expertise from the sidelines—they want her to rejoin the team. Grace can’t resist the opportunity to play again, but her return draws unwanted national attention that makes her question her future and who she wants to be. Flashback chapters written in the second-person present tense bring Grace’s past to life, which helps maintain momentum and makes her emotional journey feel more immersive. A heartfelt, goofy, and diverse cast of secondary characters surround Grace, who’s white, as she navigates self-doubt, friendship, complicated feelings for her ex-girlfriend, and what she wants to do after graduation. Overall, this coming-of-age sports narrative is honest, gentle, and hopeful.
A winning game of feelingsball. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 13, 2025
ISBN: 9781646145027
Page Count: 344
Publisher: Levine Querido
Review Posted Online: March 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025
PERSPECTIVES
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