Blending romance, thrills, drama, and philosophy, this novel delivers a strong message about being present with life even...
Needing a break from mounting family stress, 17-year-old Oliver leaves Chicago to spend the summer with his aunt in Boulder and encounters the alluring but distant Essa.
As their stoner mother flits from relationship to relationship, Essa is the default caregiver to her sister, the tenacious and gifted 9-year-old Puck. Rather than seeking escape through marijuana as her mother and friends choose, Essa is drawn toward Zen Buddhism and wilderness orienteering. Oliver feels out of place in crunchy Boulder, but he does relate to Essa’s sense of responsibility for her sister; his suffers from a severe mental illness. The two bond over this shared understanding, and Essa introduces Oliver to meditation and the challenging mountain survival games she plays with her friends. On one of these expeditions, Puck sneaks along and isn’t discovered until the group is too deep to turn back. That night, Puck disappears, and Essa is left in the groundless terror of the unknown, desperately searching for any clues that will lead her to Puck, hopefully still alive. The third-person narration alternates focus between Essa and Oliver in short chapters, making for a fast-paced read. Well-developed, diverse supporting characters surround the white protagonists, contributing insights and struggles that enrich the overall plot.
Blending romance, thrills, drama, and philosophy, this novel delivers a strong message about being present with life even when it hurts. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: July 3, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-61695-857-2
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Soho Teen
Review Posted Online: April 29, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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 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
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