A relatable, realistic look at the pressures teen athletes face that will appeal to reluctant readers.
A teenage sports star battles rugby opponents and inner demons in this quick and compelling read.
Seventeen-year-old Lucy “Lucky” Graves is at the top of her game, both literally and figuratively. A straight-A student and her high school’s star athlete, Lucy excels both in the classroom and on the rugby pitch. Though she lost her father when she was 12, Lucy is surrounded by people who love and support her, including her single mom, best friend and fellow rugby player Emily, and her new crush, New Zealand transplant Andy. There’s nothing standing in the way of her earning a college scholarship, until a terrible hit during a rugby match results in a broken ankle. When a video of her accident goes viral, Lucy’s mental health also deteriorates, threatening both her rugby career and her relationships. In order to get back on the pitch, Lucy must confront old demons and learn to love the game again. Readers will enjoy the action-packed scenes, as well as the concise yet thorough explanations of all things rugby. Snappy dialogue, strong pacing, and sympathetic characters make for an enjoyable and easily digestible read. Mental illness is a recurring theme and is handled with care. Lucy is biracial, with a Black Trinidadian father and a white Irish mother; supporting characters read white.
A relatable, realistic look at the pressures teen athletes face that will appeal to reluctant readers. (author’s note) (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: April 16, 2024
ISBN: 9781459839724
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
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 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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