Tender, balanced, and nuanced; a story to savor.
A scheduling complication shakes up the life of Korean American senior Eliza Park.
Overachiever Eliza is horrified that she’s been placed in Culinary Arts instead of AP Physics. At wealthy and competitive Highland Hills, this unweighted course may threaten her projected salutatorian status, especially since Eliza has no experience in the kitchen. Used to being the best, she’s immediately riled up by her assigned partner, experienced foodie Wesley Ruengsomboon, who’s Thai American. But perhaps Eliza’s exploration of recipes left by her recently passed halmeoni will help her reconnect with her grieving mother. Culinary Arts sets Eliza on a humbling journey of growth, not only in how she thinks about academics but also in her approach to relationships with family, friends, and Wesley, who becomes less annoying as she gets to know him. Debut author Lee beautifully explores these themes and more with humor and heart. Eliza is a charming narrator; she’s realistically flawed, and her self-awareness and efforts to improve are compelling. Through cooking lessons with her mom, Eliza begins to think deeply about her mother’s life experiences and the realities of immigration, giving her an impetus to reflect on her conflicted connection to South Korea and the relatives there she’s spent little time with. Eliza develops insights into the importance of communication and mutual support among friends, and she and Wesley challenge each other’s perceptions, particularly about how to measure success.
Tender, balanced, and nuanced; a story to savor. (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: May 13, 2025
ISBN: 9780063372634
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
PERSPECTIVES
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
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
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