A humorous and heartfelt love story about growth, change, and clarity.
A young man has one week in Italy to prove he’s changed and win his ex back.
Italian American rising senior Fielder Lemon is still trying to get over his childhood best friend and first love, 19-year-old Riccardo DeLuca, who ended their relationship a year ago, then disappeared. Enthusiastic foodie Fielder has dedicated his energy post-breakup to growing his online presence on TikTok, where he reviews local restaurants. When his cousin suddenly announces his destination wedding in Amalfi, Fielder is ecstatic—until he learns that Sienna, Ricky’s older sister, is the bride. Now he’ll have to spend a whole week on the beautiful Mediterranean coast with his ex. But he decides this proximity offers the perfect chance for him to show Ricky that he’s “grown and changed.” What he wasn’t counting on was that Ricky, who’s also Italian American, would show up with a new boyfriend. Alongside the romance storyline, Salvatore explores themes of discovering your passions, recognizing and loving your true self, finding your purpose as an individual rather than just as part of a relationship, and connecting with your cultural roots. The book also contains commentary on climate change and sustainability in the context of an Italian lemon grove Fielder visits. The presence at the wedding of Fielder’s gay cousin, who struggled with internalized homophobia, and Sienna’s bigoted cousin, who continually makes jabs at queer people, offers opportunities to show the impact of bias.
A humorous and heartfelt love story about growth, change, and clarity. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: May 13, 2025
ISBN: 9781547615278
Page Count: 350
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2025
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
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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