A well-intentioned story of trust, love, and family.
A high school romance full of love—and turbulence.
When new boy Jamie, a Californian transplanted to Texas, strolls into the high school cafeteria, Cara immediately falls for him, and when their eyes meet, he also feels their instant connection. Over the span of the school year, the two lovebirds experience classic high school romance milestones, from meeting each other’s parents and attending a party with underage drinking to navigating friendship drama. Throughout it all, Cara and Jamie learn how to navigate their relationship. The story opens with the dramatic moment when a young woman, whom readers will quickly recognize is Cara, frantically calls 911 and tells the dispatcher that although she did not realize she was pregnant, she has just given birth to a baby boy at home alone. The narrative then moves back in time seven months, to that fateful day in the cafeteria, with the storyline unfolding in alternating first-person narration from Cara and Jamie. Combining lighter teen romance moments, such as stolen kisses by a locker, with heavier content around the pregnancy and its attendant fallout, the novel highlights different family dynamics that readers may resonate with, but depth is undermined by a lack of subtlety in the way characters’ innermost thoughts and feelings are continually explicitly spelled out. While sincere and earnest, the writing is unpolished and the dialogue awkward. Main characters default to White; there is some racial diversity in the supporting cast.
A well-intentioned story of trust, love, and family. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: July 19, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-990158-74-2
Page Count: 334
Publisher: 5310 Publishing
Review Posted Online: April 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
A thrilling, beautifully written page-turner.
A young woman pursues a dangerous quest in late-1800s Egypt in this sequel to What the River Knows (2023).
After Inez Olivera was nearly murdered while assisting with her uncle’s archaeological expedition in Egypt, Tío Ricardo is eager to ship her home to safety in Argentina. But Inez burns with the need to stay and make sure that those who committed crimes against her family are held responsible. Unfortunately, the law precludes Inez, as a young unmarried woman, from accessing her inheritance (needed to fund her quest for justice) without her guardian uncle’s permission. Whitford Hayes, a former British soldier and her tío’s aide-de-camp, proposes marriage, which could solve her problems. But can Inez trust the secretive Whit? More danger and intrigue lurk at every turn in this exciting duology closer, which fully addresses the first entry’s jaw-dropping cliffhanger. The well-paced plot encompasses many fresh, new adventures and betrayals in this reimagined historical setting in which ancient magic abounds and not everyone or everything is what it seems. Even more captivating, however, is the complicated, nuanced love story between Whit and Inez. Their chemistry sizzles, but their relationship is achingly layered with both profound loyalty and deep deception. As their journey unearths new enemies and priceless archaeological finds, the duo must try to trust each other enough to survive.
A thrilling, beautifully written page-turner. (cast of characters, map, timeline) (Historical fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781250822994
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2024
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
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