While not groundbreaking, this is an enjoyable voyage to take.
Two girls navigate friendship, relationships, grief, and the Great Loop.
Willa and Taylor’s friendship is tenuous at best now that their mutual friend Finley is gone. The girls set off during the summer before college to sail part of the Great Loop, a network of waterways, from Sandusky, Ohio, to Key West, Florida. The pair is fulfilling a deathbed promise they made to Finley by completing the trip the three had intended to take together. To help guide their adventure, they follow a list of clues that Finley created before she died of leukemia. While both girls must figure out how to go on without their best friend, brown-skinned Willa also must reconcile her relationship with her single white mother and make a decision about her future: Will she do what is practical or follow her passion? Taylor, who is white, is coming to terms with her sexuality and working through insecurities she felt in her relationships with Finley and Willa. Both girls eventually learn just how strong they are. The matter of Willa’s ethnicity—her father’s identity is unknown—feels unresolved. Doller (In a Perfect World, 2017, etc.) effectively tackles the difficult emotions that come with losing your best friend. Clear and evocative descriptions of the mechanics of sailing and the many places the girls visit en route enhance the novel.
While not groundbreaking, this is an enjoyable voyage to take. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7991-2
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 21, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2019
A contemporary hero’s journey, brilliantly told.
The 17-year-old son of a troubled rock star is determined to find his own way in life and love.
On the verge of adulthood, Blade Morrison wants to leave his father’s bad-boy reputation for drug-and-alcohol–induced antics and his sister’s edgy lifestyle behind. The death of his mother 10 years ago left them all without an anchor. Named for the black superhero, Blade shares his family’s connection to music but resents the paparazzi that prevent him from having an open relationship with the girl that he loves. However, there is one secret even Blade is unaware of, and when his sister reveals the truth of his heritage during a bitter fight, Blade is stunned. When he finally gains some measure of equilibrium, he decides to investigate, embarking on a search that will lead him to a small, remote village in Ghana. Along the way, he meets people with a sense of purpose, especially Joy, a young Ghanaian who helps him despite her suspicions of Americans. This rich novel in verse is full of the music that forms its core. In addition to Alexander and co-author Hess’ skilled use of language, references to classic rock songs abound. Secondary characters add texture to the story: does his girlfriend have real feelings for Blade? Is there more to his father than his inability to stay clean and sober? At the center is Blade, fully realized and achingly real in his pain and confusion.
A contemporary hero’s journey, brilliantly told. (Verse fiction. 14-adult)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-310-76183-9
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Blink
Review Posted Online: April 30, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2017
PERSPECTIVES
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
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