Unsuccessfully tries to be too many things at once: thriller, psychological drama, and romance.
Is it the town of Wolf Ridge or Wyatt Green who is cursed?
November is always a deadly month in the small town of Wolf Ridge, Vermont—a month when, for decades, murders, suicides, and accidental deaths have taken place. Which leads to the (unanswered) questions: Why does anyone stay, and why are so many residents in denial that there is even a problem? Wyatt believes it is the so-called November Sickness that caused someone to murder her mother last year, and she tries to convince others, including her emotionally absent father, that the sickness is behind November’s high mortality rate. While working on an AP literature project (culminating in a Great Gatsby–style party), Wyatt finds herself in a love triangle she views as Gatsby-esque, between possibly dangerous childhood friend Cash and popular Porter. Wyatt also continues to seek validation that the curse is real. She even reaches out to a Midwestern reporter who wrote an article on Wolf Ridge’s mysterious fatalities. Although initially encouraging, the reporter, who is seeking real-world explanations, later dismisses the November Sickness as an urban legend. Wyatt ultimately must face hard truths if she hopes for real answers. The book sometimes veers into melodrama, and inconsistencies in characters’ motivations and a lack of focus undermine attempts to build tension and may diminish readers’ interest. Main characters default to White.
Unsuccessfully tries to be too many things at once: thriller, psychological drama, and romance. (Thriller. 13-18)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-72823-410-6
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
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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