A heartwarming page-turner that focuses on an intricate teen relationship.
A YA romance centers on trauma and healing.
The title of Van Fleet’s novel refers to the author’s two teenage protagonists. Midnight Turner and Bex Capone are paired for a chemistry project. Bex, once a self-professed awkward loner, is a sidekick to the loud and bossy Jo Donahue. When Bex starts collaborating with the mysterious outsider Midnight, she finds herself “dying to know everything about the guy,” including his troubled history. Meanwhile, Midnight avoids Bex’s overtures as he grapples with the tragic circumstances of his life. The book opens with his mother escaping Emmanuel, Midnight’s father and the “prophet” of Children of His Mercy, a cultlike religious sect that the teen is being groomed for. Midnight struggles to escape indoctrination and abuse while trying to save his friend Eve from the cult’s creepy agenda. He finds a kindred spirit in Bex, who seems to understand his pain while she copes with mourning her father’s death. As a high school romance blossoms between the two teens, they are impeded by forces ranging from the ostensibly ordinary to the terribly sinister. Jo seems to hate Midnight and Bex’s blossoming relationship, which threatens the two girls’ friendship. And Bex isn’t sure if Midnight’s bond with Eve means he is unavailable. The Mercy sect follows Midnight around, and he must endanger his life and those he loves to sever his ties with the group. Finally, Midnight and Bex wonder if they can truly forge a strong relationship, given their fragile emotional states. Trigger warnings at the start of the novel effectively describe the serious themes, which the story’s threads of mystery, drama, and romance are built around. The tale gives readers a balanced combination of feel-good YA scenes and an in-depth look at the impacts of religious indoctrination, child abuse, and the loss of a parent. The romance between the two leads develops at a realistic, fun, slow-burn pace and both characters are equally complex. One player whose personality could have been explored more is Jo—she had the potential to be the perfect foil for Bex. Van Fleet’s greatest strength lies in plot construction. The author presents unexpected connections among the characters, which will keep readers hooked.
A heartwarming page-turner that focuses on an intricate teen relationship.Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2022
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 345
Publisher: Wise Wolf Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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.
