A sweet opposites-attract romance enriched by affecting moments of emotional vulnerability.
Two London teenagers develop an unexpected connection while trying to save a Black-owned bookstore.
Seventeen-year-old Trey Anderson is the golden boy of Corden College and, with his high-maintenance girlfriend, Blair Bailey, one-half of the campus’ power couple. Although his social life may be enviable, few people know that his family’s independent bookshop, Wonderland, is rapidly losing customers to its corporate rival Books! Books! Books! A few weeks before Christmas, Trey gets terrible news: Unless the shop generates a massive profit to pay off outstanding debts, his family will sell the business to real estate developers. Trey’s determined to keep their legacy alive—even if it means working with Ariel Spencer, also 17 and Black, an introverted classmate who wants to follow in her late father’s footsteps by attending the art school he went to. Hoping to earn tuition money, Ariel accepts a job at Wonderland. Much to Trey’s surprise, as the teens spend more time together, they reconsider their differences, growing closer. Bello’s YA debut, which is told through the leads’ alternating perspectives, shimmers with holiday magic. The layered narrative depicts their relationship with depth as they also join forces to get the community to rally around Wonderland. Ariel is described as “thick,” and her chapters thoughtfully explore her struggles with self-esteem and body image. The supporting cast reflects the diversity of the Hackney setting.
A sweet opposites-attract romance enriched by affecting moments of emotional vulnerability. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2023
ISBN: 9781641295079
Page Count: 312
Publisher: Soho Teen
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2023
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
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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