by Tea Benduhn ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2003
The summer before their junior year finds Aurin lolling in the park eyeballing the more active Frisbee players. Aurin and her best friends, Kenney and Fred, female and male, live in Greensboro, better known as Greensboring. Fred is gay and enjoys the view of the athletic guys as much or more than Kenney, but Aurin is surprised to find herself noticing newcomer Neila, female. Never having dated, Aurin hasn’t really thought about her sexuality, and as she gets to know Neila, her growing awareness of her interest and the ramifications slowly unfold. Benduhn uses a light, deft touch that plays down the angst and focuses on the fizzy joy of first love. Kenney is a pivotal figure as befits her status as best friend, as well as her personality, which has always made her the leader/dictator of the pack. Aurin’s parents, Fred’s heartthrob Grant, and even a community ballroom-dancing teacher float into the narration but remain fairly vague, as does Neila, source of infatuation. Throughout, Benduhn punctuates the story with descriptions of scenes that Aurin imagines in the movie of her life. She eschews heaviness as she pays little attention to possible sources of confrontation. The non-hetero characters suffer no more than some friendly teasing, and Neila’s African-American heritage is summarily observed and dismissed. Actual attempts at movie-making occur and bring a visual element to the story as a counterpoint to the events described. This is not quite “Seventeenth Summer” but it does contain similar elements of self-discovery and blossoming sexuality. Thus girl meets girl, sparks fly, and boredom is vanquished. Lighthearted fare such as this ought to be more available, but it isn’t. Its very scarcity makes this noteworthy debut even more valuable. (Fiction. YA)
Pub Date: March 1, 2003
ISBN: 0-689-84994-X
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2003
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by Laura Nowlin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 6, 2024
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
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by Laura Nowlin ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2013
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
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