This holiday romance is kind of a schlep.
Hannah Levin loves celebrating Hanukkah with her family—unfortunately, this year she’s stuck in Texas with her somewhat distant grandmother and a couple of horses.
New Yorker Hannah is determined to be miserable during her four-day stay in Rosenblum, Texas. It’s a small, slow-moving town with spotty cell service, and Hannah is allergic to the horses. She misses her friends and family back home, especially during the winter holiday. There’s also tension Hannah doesn’t fully understand between her parents and her grandmother; last year, her older brother visited Texas on his own, and now it’s her turn. But when Hannah meets cute, sweet (and Jewish) Noah Blum at the local deli, her short vacation becomes a lot more interesting. When snowstorms lead to flight cancellations, Hannah is stuck in Rosenblum for most of the rest of the holiday. Noah is determined to cheer her up and show her his Texas-style traditions for creating a magical Hanukkah. While Hannah spends each day helping Noah out in the deli, Noah organizes eight romantic nights all around town and even beyond. The adorable meet-cute involving a giant hot dog costume should launch a sweet romance full of Jewish joy, but instead what follows is a clunky narrative weighed down by repetition and some inconsistencies. While the voice is authentic, the romance is lukewarm at best.
This holiday romance is kind of a schlep. (Romance. 13-18)Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2023
ISBN: 9780593710333
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Underlined
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
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.
The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.
Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798987380406
Page Count: 538
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
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