A sweet, heartfelt romance that thoughtfully explores identity and belonging.
An aspiring music journalist falls for the teen pop star she’s trying to dig up dirt on.
When 17-year-old Sasha saves pop star Rotten from the paparazzi in a chance meet-cute in Los Angeles, the magazine where she’s interning dangles the possibility of earning a college scholarship—making dreams of higher education attainable for this daughter of Brazilian immigrants—if she dates the rocker and comes up with an exclusive story about him. But pansexual Sasha realizes that Rotten, whose real name is Daniel, isn’t the bad boy the media has labeled him. Far from being the player described in tabloids, Daniel is demisexual and hasn’t even experienced his first kiss yet. He was the last to join the close-knit band that propelled him to sudden stardom and suffers from imposter syndrome. Born and raised in Brazil, Daniel also feels like an outsider as he adjusts to the challenges of life in the public eye and in the U.S. Mistaken first impressions beleaguer Daniel and Sasha’s relationship from the start, but their character arcs are skillfully and compassionately developed. A quick-paced plot and fluid prose make for an enjoyable read as the teens muddle through a blooming romance complicated by ulterior motives and Daniel’s celebrity status. As they grow closer, Sasha and Daniel also meaningfully engage in introspection about their sexuality and heritage, including issues relating to the diaspora and colorism.
A sweet, heartfelt romance that thoughtfully explores identity and belonging. (author’s note) (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-48344-2
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Underlined
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2022
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 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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