A well-written collection that shines in its creative magic systems and worldbuilding.
Romance meets magic in this engaging collection of stories written by a variety of new and veteran YA authors.
In an introductory letter to readers, editor Pennant describes her goal with this anthology: “to further highlight the voices and backgrounds that are so often overlooked in the genre of ‘romantasy.’” The 17 stories collected here, the spiciest of which offer closed door romance, span the gamut from a splash of fabulism to full-blown high fantasy. In Sophie Li’s beautifully written, Studio Ghibli-esque “Chloe’s Cat,” a girl confronts her low self-esteem and feelings for her best friend after her cat eats him. Jill Tew builds an enchanting world that will leave readers wanting more in the epistolary “Atrium,” which follows two young people who fall in love while attempting to solve a challenge for their Incantations class. Many of the stories shine for their fantasy elements, for example, Jennifer Helen’s “A Feathered Omen” and Alexene Farol Follmuth’s “Prophecy.” Some feature swoonworthy romances, like Brent Lambert’s “Silent Death,” Nia Davenport’s “A Fate Written in Stars,” and Kwame Mbalia’s “The Heartfire Mask.” Other entries present romances set against slightly fantastical backdrops, as in Cheryl Isaacs’ “Sinkholes.” The anthology includes an appealing range of representation among the leads and love interests, including characters with different cultural origins and sexualities, whose identities are authentically rendered, contributing to a fun and colorful reading experience.
A well-written collection that shines in its creative magic systems and worldbuilding. (contributor bios) (Fantasy romance anthology. 14-18)Pub Date: June 30, 2026
ISBN: 9781638933304
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sweet July/Zando
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 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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