The balmy setting and sweet developing relationship will appeal to teen romance fans.
When her imaginary boyfriend appears in real life, an aspiring photographer must be honest with her family—and herself—about her dreams and ambitions.
When Kenzie Reed arrives in Maui with her family for vacation, her boyfriend, Jacob Miller, is at the airport to surprise her. He’s cute and fun and knows all about her, but there’s one big problem: She made him up. Knowing that her parents would be happier if she were more like her sister, Alana—organized, serious, dating the right kind of guy, and preparing to join the family optometry practice—Kenzie quashed the exuberant parts of herself, including her love of nature photography, and invented a boring, stable long-distance boyfriend. Her parents have been very happy with the changes she’s made, but now that her formerly imaginary boyfriend is somehow there in the flesh, she knows time is running out until her lies are revealed. But who is this Fake Jacob? Despite this mystery, the time she spends with him makes her realize that she misses being impulsive, joyful, and creative and that being truthful about who she is is the only way forward. Kenzie’s dilemma will resonate with teens trying to balance others’ expectations with their own interests and desires. Main characters are cued White.
The balmy setting and sweet developing relationship will appeal to teen romance fans. (Romance. 12-18)Pub Date: May 23, 2023
ISBN: 9780593569917
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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 worthy second-chance romance.
In this follow-up to 2021’s Better Than the Movies, a 20-year-old college freshman gets a second chance at his dreams.
After the death of his father and his mother’s subsequent physical and emotional disappearance, Wes Bennett left behind all of his plans and the girl he made them with to go home and take care of Sarah, his younger sister. But now, Sarah has graduated, his mom is back on her feet, and by some miracle, Wes has an offer to pitch for UCLA’s baseball team. Liz Buxbaum, the girl he’s always loved, works for the university’s athletic department, taking photos and video of the team for social media, which means that maybe he can have a second chance at love, too. But since Wes left, Liz has made every effort to protect herself from ever feeling that broken again; there’s no room for love, because she doesn’t believe in it anymore. Or she doesn’t want to. This second-chance sports romance includes fake dates, quippy and quirky best friends, real heartache, and the sweet ache of first love. The clever dialogue keeps readers from drowning in the main characters’ emotional push-and-pull. Reading the first novel isn’t necessary for appreciating this one, although knowing the full history between Wes and Liz will only add to the ache and longing readers feel from and for them. Main characters are cued white.
A worthy second-chance romance. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781665947138
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
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