A cute love story.
A high school senior helps her best friend ask the most popular girl in school to prom.
Eighteen-year-old Ivelisse Santos is angsty about her future. Mami wants her to stay close to home by attending Rutgers, and she doesn’t want to disappoint her, but Ivelisse’s heart is set on going to Sarah Lawrence to study theater and then become a set designer. Ivelisse misses spending quality time with her single mom, an industrious nurse who works night shifts and has recently begun spending every free moment dating new men. Luckily, she can always count on Joaquin Romero, the boy next door and her best friend. They share everything, from a pet dog to a love of slushies, and are always there for each other. (Ivelisse hasn’t seen her dad in 10 years, and Joaquin’s mom moved back to Puerto Rico to help his ailing grandmother.) But then Joaquin returns home from spring break with a major crush on Tessa Hernandez, a cheerleader known for breaking hearts whom Ivelisse strongly dislikes. Joaquin begs Ivelisse to help him plan the ultimate promposal, and as she helps him woo Tessa, she must confront whether she truly wants to protect Joaquin from rejection, is afraid of losing their friendship, or has been in love with him all along. The story meanders in places, but the central duo’s long friendship is sweetly fleshed out, and their characterization will win readers over.
A cute love story. (Romance. 13-18)Pub Date: May 14, 2024
ISBN: 9780593705179
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Joy Revolution
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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
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
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