Involving and suspenseful.
Kara hopes to win a scholarship to La Patisserie Pastry School so she can escape her bleak life by becoming a professional baker, but she has to contend with a secret stalker as well.
Kara also deals with the death of her older sister, Kellen. She sees Kellen often—perhaps not so much as a ghost but more as a psychological presence. Kara’s domineering mother quit her high-power attorney job at Kellen’s death, got religion, and now runs a restaurant/food kitchen. Kara knows her mom will never allow her to go to California for the scholarship contest, so she gets a job so she can buy her own plane ticket, permission or no. Meanwhile she feels both attracted to and suspicious of Charlie, who works for her mom and clearly likes Kara. But who is sending her the creepy, anonymous letters? Could it be Charlie? Grogan doesn’t go in much for nuance. Kara’s absent father is terminally neglectful, and her mother is crazy. Even her best friend constantly taunts her sarcastically, so much so that readers might wonder why Kara keeps her as a “friend.” However, the story builds and sustains tension deftly, offering just the right level of clues as to the identity of the stalker. Kara’s love of baking is a nifty distinguishing feature, and the author includes her cookie recipe at the end.
Involving and suspenseful. (Mystery. 12-18)Pub Date: Aug. 4, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-61695-554-0
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Soho Teen
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2015
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
BOOK TO SCREEN
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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