Contains all the right ingredients but doesn’t quite come together.
A destined-to-be romance hits a snag.
Andie Rose is no shirker—she doesn’t fear hard work, and she has ridiculous plans for achieving her goals. The first step is transferring from Little Fells Community College to competitive Blue Ridge State, where her boyfriend, Connor Whit, is a student. Andie is certain the two were made for each other. She will major in psychology and write a self-help guide for achieving happiness, which of course means she must first master it herself. Hoping to give Connor the surprise of his life, midyear freshman transfer Andie shows up at the university without telling him—only to discover that Connor has in fact transferred to Little Fells in an effort to surprise her. The couple decide to grin and bear it for a semester, and as Andie does her best to navigate this absurd situation, she finds comfort in the company of attractive but surly resident adviser Milo Flynn and a gig anonymously giving advice on the university’s long-standing pirate radio show. The premise references popular romantic tropes that will appeal to many readers. Unfortunately, the book is let down by thin characterization: Laser-focused Andie feels over-the-top and there’s no real friction, desire, or excitement between her and Milo. Without exciting narrative hooks to keep readers invested, the story fails to spark.
Contains all the right ingredients but doesn’t quite come together. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Jan. 24, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-250-78336-3
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2022
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 worthy second-chance romance.
In this follow-up to 2021’s Better Than the Movies, a 20-year-old college freshman gets a second chance at his dreams.
After the death of his father and his mother’s subsequent physical and emotional disappearance, Wes Bennett left behind all of his plans and the girl he made them with to go home and take care of Sarah, his younger sister. But now, Sarah has graduated, his mom is back on her feet, and by some miracle, Wes has an offer to pitch for UCLA’s baseball team. Liz Buxbaum, the girl he’s always loved, works for the university’s athletic department, taking photos and video of the team for social media, which means that maybe he can have a second chance at love, too. But since Wes left, Liz has made every effort to protect herself from ever feeling that broken again; there’s no room for love, because she doesn’t believe in it anymore. Or she doesn’t want to. This second-chance sports romance includes fake dates, quippy and quirky best friends, real heartache, and the sweet ache of first love. The clever dialogue keeps readers from drowning in the main characters’ emotional push-and-pull. Reading the first novel isn’t necessary for appreciating this one, although knowing the full history between Wes and Liz will only add to the ache and longing readers feel from and for them. Main characters are cued white.
A worthy second-chance romance. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781665947138
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
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