Meant to be a fast-paced teen thriller, this instead is a derivative novel that is readable but all-too-familiar
This is a tale with all the elements popular in this phase of 21st-century teen lit, ranging from first (but oh-so-true) love to Eastern European bad guys to the age-old supermensch.
Orphaned Carina Monroe loses her uncle in an apparent auto accident. Now she only has Tanner, whom she will lose all too soon to Berkley in September. Morose, disoriented, now under the thumb of her uncle’s co-worker Sheila, Carina attends his memorial service surrounded by security agents who want to restrict her movements and her privacy. She learns from Sheila that her life is in danger, and if she wants to survive, she has to trust Sheila. Instead, Carina takes to her heels with only Tanner for support. Together and on the run, they follow clues her uncle left trying to guide them to safety, but they only find themselves deeper in danger. They also find that their senses and abilities are changing, giving them skills they never had before. They’ve been infected, and if they don’t find the antidote fast, they’re going to die horrible deaths—if the bad guys don’t kill them first. There’s little new here, from the plot to the characters—even Tanner’s hunky frame and “cobalt-blue eyes” are tired clichés.
Meant to be a fast-paced teen thriller, this instead is a derivative novel that is readable but all-too-familiar . (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 6, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-385-74106-4
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Oct. 5, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2014
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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