A breathtakingly drawn debut weaving together humor, sweetness, angst, and a bit of magic.
Two teens are swept into a shared dream amid the ups and downs of first love.
Under the glow of the lights from an arcade game, Amber confesses to her best friend, Nico, that she wants to be more than friends. He admits that he returns her feelings, and they spend the summer before 9th grade basking in the bliss of puppy love, much to the consternation of Nico’s Filipino mother (Amber reads white). When school starts, their relationship becomes a welcome escape from the social and academic pressures of high school, especially for Amber. But as the pair become more caught up in each other, they begin to alienate their once tight-knit friend group. One night, Amber and Nico fall asleep on the sofa while watching TV and find themselves sharing a strange but beautiful dream. Their journey across fantastical landscapes feels like the perfect place to hide away forever. The longer it goes on, however, the more it becomes clear that even a dream doesn’t offer a safe escape from the problems they’ve been dealing with in the outside world. How will things change for Amber and Nico when—and if—they wake up? The story takes place in 2008, but the cheekily portrayed, geographically ambiguous suburban setting lends a sense of timelessness. Expressive full-color illustrations in soft tones make for an uncommonly immersive read.
A breathtakingly drawn debut weaving together humor, sweetness, angst, and a bit of magic. (Graphic fantasy. 12-18)Pub Date: Jan. 14, 2025
ISBN: 9781603095464
Page Count: 312
Publisher: Top Shelf Productions
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 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
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
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
