Only held back from greatness by limited worldbuilding.
Old flames meet at a cosplay contest.
Eli, a nonbinary makeup artist and cosplay influencer taking a gap year before college, dreams of working behind the scenes on films, bringing fantastical beings to life. Between shifts at Denny’s, Eli attends FaeCon in one of their ambitious cosplays. There, they learn that their hero, Theresa Jenkins, a makeup artist and co-creator of the tabletop role-playing game podcast Chaos Reign, is offering a scholarship to Beyond, Eli’s dream special-effects makeup school in Hollywood, as first prize in the Makeup Wars contest. Eli enters—only to find out Zach, their ex, is also competing. Lingering bitterness and jealous romantic tension make it difficult for Eli to focus on their craft, but after Zach saves Eli from a makeup prosthesis mishap, the pair broach a tentative friendship. Supported by best friend Bodhi, Eli struggles over their feelings for Zach while fighting to win. The writing grips from the start and shines most when Eli is performing the more technical aspects of their cosplays. Unfortunately, though Eli is a huge nerd and adores the Chaos Reign podcast, readers are given scant details about the game’s lore or what draws Eli to its characters, leaving odd gaps given that the bulk of the plot is about cosplaying. Fun spot art opens each chapter. Eli and Zach seem to default to White; Bodhi is implied Indian and White.
Only held back from greatness by limited worldbuilding. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 9, 2023
ISBN: 9780762481637
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Running Press Kids
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
An aching story of love, loss, and learning to look forward.
This companion to 2021’s bestselling You’ve Reached Sam explores first love, grief, and what remains after saying goodbye.
Nearly a year after the death of Sam, his best friend and secret crush, Oliver, a gay first-year college student, sends Sam one final text—only to receive a reply from the stranger who now has Sam’s old number. What begins as an accidental exchange evolves into a warm and unexpected connection, told in self-reflective first-person prose interspersed with text conversations. The prose blends dreamy flashbacks with present-day scenes showing Oliver’s loneliness, juxtaposing vivid memories of love unspoken with the tentative beginning of something new. The scenes move fluidly across time, showing prom, Halloween, a spring bonfire, and quiet cafe moments, all of which underscore the intensity of Oliver’s love and longing, while his banter-filled messages and blossoming rapport with the stranger he’s texting with offer glimmers of healing. His grief is messy and nonlinear, and the story doesn’t rush his recovery. Thao’s writing is intimate and vulnerable, balancing humor and heartbreak with emotional honesty. Touchstones like white roses, playlists, and quiet nights on campus recur throughout, grounding Oliver’s journey in sensory detail. This poignant story offers a nuanced depiction of grieving and embracing romantic possibilities. In the earlier book, Oliver presented white, and Sam was cued Japanese American.
An aching story of love, loss, and learning to look forward. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
ISBN: 9780593858479
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A troubling depiction of an unhealthy relationship.
A battered girl and an injured rugby star spark up an ill-advised romance at an Irish secondary school.
Beautiful, waiflike, 15-year-old Shannon has lived her entire life in Ballylaggin. Alternately bullied at school and beaten by her ne’er-do-well father, she’s hopeful for a fresh start at Tommen, a private school. Seventeen-year-old Johnny, who has a hair-trigger temper and a severe groin injury, is used to Dublin’s elite-level rugby but, since his family’s move to County Cork, is now stuck captaining Tommen’s middling team. When Johnny angrily kicks a ball and knocks Shannon unconscious (“a soft female groan came from her lips”), a tentative relationship is born. As the two grow closer, Johnny’s past and Shannon’s present become serious obstacles to their budding love, threatening Shannon’s safety. Shannon’s portrayal feels infantilized (“I looked down at the tiny little female under my arm”), while Johnny comes across as borderline obsessive (“I knew I shouldn’t be touching her, but how the hell could I not?”). Uneven pacing and choppy sentences lead to a sudden climax and an unsatisfyingly abrupt ending. Repetitive descriptions, abundant and misogynistic dialogue (Johnny, to his best friend: “who’s the bitch with a vagina now?”), and graphic violence also weigh down this lengthy tome (considerably trimmed down from its original, self-published length). The cast of lively, well-developed supporting characters, especially Johnny’s best friend and Shannon’s protective older brother, is a bright spot. Major characters read white.
A troubling depiction of an unhealthy relationship. (author’s note, pronunciations, glossary, song moments, playlists) (Romance. 16-18)Pub Date: Nov. 28, 2023
ISBN: 9781728299945
Page Count: 626
Publisher: Bloom Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2023
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