A surprisingly buoyant supernatural YA thriller.
In Bilen’s novel, two teens, each suffering from trauma from past tragedies, pursue a relationship as a serial killer roams free.
When 17-year-olds Jacob and Olivia meet, she’s just been to the funeral of a friend she knew in sixth grade—the latest victim of a murderer in the area called the Sweet Dreams Strangler. Jacob used to live in Michigan with his father, but now, after being involved in a drunken driving accident, he’s been sent to live with his FBI agent mother in Olivia’s Pennsylvania hometown. The teens feel an immediate attraction, and after they start regularly walking home from school together, their feelings only grow stronger. Olivia has a secret: When she was 7, her dad, who suffered from schizophrenia, tried to kill himself—and her—in a fire. Olivia survived, but she’s recently started hearing voices, including that of her dead friend. Jacob has a secret, too: He suffers from headaches and sometimes from apparent blackouts. He also sketches faces that he sees in a recurring nightmare, which turn out to be the victims of the Sweet Dreams Strangler. Is Olivia slipping into mental illness like her father? Do Jacob’s dreams hide a darker truth? And will the killer ever be caught? Bilen writes in a polished, efficient style in the first person, present tense, alternating between Olivia’s and Jacob’s perspectives. The dialogue is mostly naturalistic, although it edges toward TV–style banter when Jacob and Olivia converse. Despite the story’s dark themes, the overall tone remains surprisingly upbeat. The chapters sometimes feel a bit too short, giving the work a choppy feel; still, this gives it a constant sense of forward motion that carries the reader along. Olivia and Jacob are both relatable characters, and their romance has a pleasant, high school–sweetheart tone. For much of the book, Bilen succeeds in obfuscating the significance of the story’s supernatural elements; the denouement arrives in a breathless rush that removes any ambiguity but takes away some of the mystique.
A surprisingly buoyant supernatural YA thriller.Pub Date: May 8, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-73535-221-3
Page Count: 282
Publisher: Mirette
Review Posted Online: March 21, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
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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