by Alice Oseman ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2022
A messy, imperfect, and necessary portrayal of a drastically underrepresented identity.
A British teen works on accepting her aro-ace identity.
Eighteen-year-old White British Georgia is tired of feeling different. She loves the theoretical idea of romance and isn’t opposed to reading a steamy fanfic now and then, but real-life romantic and sexual experiences make her feel squicky. Heading off to Durham University, she’s determined that if she tries hard enough, she can have these types of attractions despite not understanding how her friends can be “out there just craving genitals and embarrassment.” When she and her two best friends—masc-leaning Colombian British lesbian Pip and White cishet Jason—join her new roommate Rooney’s attempt to revive their uni’s Shakespeare Society, drama abounds. Rooney and Pip feud and flirt, Georgia and Jason attempt to date despite Jason’s clear interest and Georgia’s clear apathy, friendships are ruined, friendships are repaired. Outgoing pansexual Rooney’s supposedly sex-positive attitude is undermined by her use of hookups as a method of self-harm. Georgia’s third-year mentor, nonbinary Indian Sunil, is a homoromantic asexual, and her older cousin Ellis is aro-ace, but their main functions are to facilitate infodumping centered on Georgia’s experiences rather than to provide rich explorations of the impact of intersectional identities. Readers should be prepared for many pages of Georgia’s vivid, unrelenting internalized aro- and ace-phobia, making this an incredibly validating mirror, an eye-opening window, or, for some, a read where the pain may outweigh the gain.
A messy, imperfect, and necessary portrayal of a drastically underrepresented identity. (resources) (Fiction. 15-adult)Pub Date: March 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-338-75193-2
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2021
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by Alice Oseman ; illustrated by Alice Oseman
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by Alice Oseman ; illustrated by Alice Oseman
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by Alice Oseman
by Laura Nowlin ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2013
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
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SEEN & HEARD
by Laura Nowlin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 6, 2024
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
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