An effective and largely entertaining romp.
Trouble returns to Zoe’s world.
The absurdly smart teen detective Digby left town months ago, and Zoe has moved on from the adventure they had and the confusing kiss they shared. She’s been preparing for the SATs, getting in with the popular crowd, and dating an athletic quarterback who is the exact opposite of Digby in every way. But of course, Digby comes back to town like a tornado, sweeping Zoe up in another mystery and leaving everything else in her life up in the air. The author bounces her characters off one another in spectacular ways, crafting drama, suspense, love, and exasperation with ease. The first installment in this series owed a great debt to Veronica Mars and Sherlock, but here the characters come in to their own, darting in and out of mischief and mayhem at dizzying speeds and trading verbal jabs along the way. The only real downside to all the fun is the mystery, which isn’t very involving. When the characters are so rich and the dialogue is so much fun, anything that doesn’t spin out of those elements feels a bit bothersome. The mystery adds up however, and the action scenes are crisp and clean. The author signals a third book, and readers will surely want to join Digby and Zoe for another round. Though ethnicity goes largely unmentioned, Zoe’s cover illustration points to Asian heritage.
An effective and largely entertaining romp. (Mystery. 14-17)Pub Date: Nov. 22, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-525-42841-1
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Kathy Dawson/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Aug. 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
Several yards short of a touchdown.
A transgender boy starting over at a new school falls hard for a popular cheerleader with a reputation to protect in this debut.
On the first day of senior year, transgender boy Pony locks eyes with cisgender cheerleader Georgia. They both have pasts they want to leave behind. No one at Hillcrest High knows that Pony is transgender, and he intends to keep it that way. Georgia’s last boyfriend shook her trust in boys, and now she’s determined to forget him. As mutual attraction draws them together, Pony and Georgia must decide what they are willing to risk for a relationship. Pony’s best friend, Max, who is also transgender, disapproves of Pony’s choice to live stealth; this disagreement leads to serious conflict in their relationship. Meanwhile, Georgia and Pony behave as if Pony’s trans identity was a secret he was lying to her about rather than private information for him to share of his own volition. The characters only arrive at a hopeful resolution after Pony pays high physical and emotional prices. McSmith places repeated emphasis on the born-in-the-wrong-body narrative when the characters discuss trans identities. Whiteness is situated as the norm, and all main characters are white.
Several yards short of a touchdown. (Fiction. 14-17)Pub Date: May 26, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-294317-0
Page Count: 368
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
An emotionally engaging closer that fumbles in its final moments.
Lara Jean prepares for college and a wedding.
Korean-American Lara Jean is finally settled into a nice, complication-free relationship with her white boyfriend, Peter. But things don’t stay simple for long. When college acceptance letters roll in, Peter and Lara Jean discover they’re heading in different directions. As the two discuss the long-distance thing, Lara Jean’s widower father is making a major commitment: marrying the neighbor lady he’s been dating. The whirlwind of a wedding, college visits, prom, and the last few months of senior year provides an excellent backdrop for this final book about Lara Jean. The characters ping from event to event with emotions always at the forefront. Han further develops her cast, pushing them to new maturity and leaving few stones unturned. There’s only one problem here, and it’s what’s always held this series back from true greatness: Peter. Despite Han’s best efforts to flesh out Peter with abandonment issues and a crummy dad, he remains little more than a handsome jock. Frankly, Lara Jean and Peter may have cute teen chemistry, but Han's nuanced characterizations have often helped to subvert typical teen love-story tropes. This knowing subversion is frustratingly absent from the novel's denouement.
An emotionally engaging closer that fumbles in its final moments. (Romance. 14-17)Pub Date: May 2, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4814-3048-7
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2017
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