A charming debut with real substance.
A senior’s fervent attempt to stretch her horizons reveals that some things just can’t be planned.
Aisha Agarwal, who’s attending Arledge Preparatory on a scholarship, always aims for the top—from the school of her dreams (Stanford) to the boy of her dreams (Brian Wu, co-valedictorian and former childhood friend). With Brian recently out of a relationship and maybe, finally, speaking to her again, the main thing still tugging at Aisha’s mind is a Stanford application prompt: “Share a time you left your comfort zone.” When a mix-up introduces Aisha to the beaming, laid-back Quentin Santos, a biracial (Italian/Filipino) tennis player from a neighboring public school, their ensuing friendship results in Aisha’s tutoring Quentin in exchange for his helping Aisha follow through on a list of beyond-her-comfort-zone experiences she wants to complete by graduation—things that she told herself she couldn’t do earlier due to her academic focus and the strictness of her Indian immigrant parents. Along the way, Aisha discovers that people, herself included, tend to be far less one-note than they might appear. With equal parts humor and gravity, the narrative tackles subjects such as self-acceptance, anxiety, differences in socio-economic status, and cultural and religious traditions (Aisha’s family is Hindu; Quentin’s is Catholic). A lovable cast of characters, laugh-out-loud scenes, and a slow-but-steady romance all make for a breezy yet earnest read.
A charming debut with real substance. (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Aug. 27, 2024
ISBN: 9780063347168
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2024
PERSPECTIVES
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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