Occasionally pulled off course by tangential threads and underdeveloped characters, Linc’s struggle to chart her own future,...
Artistically gifted, academically challenged Linc is the biological child of white professional parents who wish Linc could be more like her black, transracially adopted sister, Holly—smart, athletic, popular.
Holly’s adoption from a Ghanaian orphanage was underway when Linc, four months younger, was conceived. Once close, the sisters’ paths have diverged. Linc’s on academic probation at their private school, where Holly’s an academic superstar even while juggling a boyfriend, student government, and soccer. Linc’s growing missteps (suggestive of ADD) trigger parental strictures and scolding lectures; her pleas for photography classes and transfer to an arts-focused school are vetoed. Revisiting Central Park’s Seneca Village site—a 19th-century community of freed blacks and European immigrants—where she and Holly played as children, Linc’s inspired to use photography to tell its history (its pre-European inhabitants aren’t mentioned) for a school project. Park and library visits provide useful cover for secret photography classes and a romance with classmate and fellow artist Silas. Linc’s solitary journey is convincing, but Holly, the only adopted character, never comes into focus. The questions and uncertainties she shares with Linc (wishing they’d visited her orphanage on the family’s trip to Ghana, wondering about her birth mother) remain fundamentally unexplored. Holly remains an enigma, her character arc peripheral (her image is omitted from the cover), her story half-told.
Occasionally pulled off course by tangential threads and underdeveloped characters, Linc’s struggle to chart her own future, unfolding in graceful verse, makes a compelling read. (Fiction.13-17)Pub Date: March 27, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-399-54744-7
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An enjoyable, if predictable, romantic holiday story.
Is an exuberant extended family the cure for a breakup? Sophie is about to find out.
When Sophie unexpectedly breaks up with her boyfriend, she isn’t thrilled about spending the holidays at her grandparents’ house instead of with him. And when her grandmother forms a plan to distract Sophie from her broken heart—10 blind dates, each set up by different family members—she’s even less thrilled. Everyone gets involved with the matchmaking, even forming a betting pool on the success of each date. But will Sophie really find someone to fill the space left by her ex? Will her ex get wind of Sophie’s dating spree via social media and want them to get back together? Is that what she even wants anymore? This is a fun story of finding love, getting to know yourself, and getting to know your family. The pace is quick and light, though the characters are fairly shallow and occasionally feel interchangeable, especially with so many names involved. A Christmas tale, the plot is a fast-paced series of dinners, parties, and games, relayed in both narrative form and via texts, though the humor occasionally feels stiff and overwrought. The ending is satisfying, though largely unsurprising. Most characters default to white as members of Sophie’s Italian American extended family, although one of her cousins has a Filipina mother. One uncle is gay.
An enjoyable, if predictable, romantic holiday story. (Fiction. 13-16)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-368-02749-6
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2019
Engaging characters and appealing, nostalgic artwork make for a satisfying read.
In this series opener, 17-year-old Alaskan Waverly Lyons goes to spend two months in the small coastal town of Holden, Florida, with her aunt Rachel.
At first, Waverly has difficulty adapting to her new environment, but she begins to befriend some of the locals, finds a job, and meets her aloof neighbor, Blake Hamilton, a lifeguard with his own yet-to-be-revealed issues. Marchant excels in capturing themes of self-discovery and budding romantic tension between the two white-presenting leads. Waverly’s journey of growth feels natural and relatable, with internal monologue appearing in rectangular text bubbles and accompanying the dialogue and external action. Joaquin’s artwork enhances the storytelling through its warm and inviting color palette, which utilizes both soft pastels and vibrant tropical tones to create an immersive atmosphere. Blurring simulates motion and movement. While the plot follows familiar genre tropes, the small-town setting enhances the charm and brings echoes of simpler times to this contemporary tale. The character designs are expressive, capturing subtle emotions effectively through body language, while the scenic backgrounds bring the coastal setting to life. The paneling is well-paced, ensuring smooth transitions between comedic, romantic, and emotional moments. This graphic novel, originally released on WEBTOON, was based on Marchant’s Wattpad novel of the same name, and the story has also been made into a film.
Engaging characters and appealing, nostalgic artwork make for a satisfying read. (Graphic romance. 13-17)Pub Date: today
ISBN: 9781546175247
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
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