An evocative and otherworldly tale.
Summer adventures lead a group of teens to a liminal space in the woods.
It’s 1994, and Trevor and Sarah have just finished their last high school classes. One muggy June evening, Sarah drags Trevor away from a party and cajoles him into sneaking a swim in a neighbor’s pool. Over the course of the summer, they become determined to swim in every pool in their small hometown of Sutton. Their friends find out and join them, but before long, they’re caught by a homeowner, a purple-haired woman in her 50s. Instead of admonishing them, she suggests they complete their list by swimming in a natural pool in the woods that none of them has heard of. At first, the swimming hole seems magical, but the friends realize that something is amiss—it feels like they’ve either been there for ages, or no time has passed at all. Will they ever be able to leave the forest, and do they even want to? Starmer’s writing is beautifully lyrical, creating an atmospheric tone and weaving a nontraditional coming-of-age story about self, friendship, and first love. The dual narrative structure proves utterly absorbing: The main narrative is punctuated by single-page interludes from an unidentified narrator who tells an urgent tale of escape, printed in white type on a black background. While the bulk of the novel flows languidly, the last few chapters feel hurried, and the story concludes abruptly. Central characters present white.
An evocative and otherworldly tale. (Speculative fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: April 29, 2025
ISBN: 9780525555643
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2025
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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