Just don’t think.
When Candy is literally stolen from her snooty New England boarding school, she knows something the kidnappers don’t: her rock-star dad is not going to ransom her.
The white teen’s mother’s been dead for years, but her father, aging rock star Wade Rex, never stepped in to fill the void, instead first fobbing her off on her emotionally distant grandmother and then dumping her in boarding school. So rather than trying to escape her kidnappers, Candy allies with them. From the outset, Candy’s appallingly privileged narration grates. Despite her “poor little rich girl” back story, she fails to ingratiate herself with readers. She is terrified of black kidnapper Jamal, scarred and with “half-dead” eyes, but she finds herself increasingly drawn to white Levon, of the luminous green eyes, soft hands, and “creamy and smooth” skin. The situation is also wildly implausible, starting with Candy’s ability to get her HD mini handheld camera out of her back pocket and use it unnoticed while wearing a ski mask on backwards and with her hands taped. Candy and Levon easily become partners in the deal when Jamal departs after an unlikely confrontation. Levon has reasons for his actions that Candy thinks are valid, and she has no fondness for—really, only one happy memory of—her father. For readers who can get past Candy’s unpleasant self-presentation and the narrative’s equally unpleasant stereotyping and who are interested in escapism, this will do the trick. Right down to the last scene readers will find enough implied steaminess, threatening violence, and sob stories to make pulses race.
Just don’t think. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: May 2, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-3888-9
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 13, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2017
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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