A sexy, irreverently witty, gay romance that takes teen issues seriously.
Former friends reunite for a revenge plot—and rediscover that their differences may be why they love each other.
At New Jersey’s Moorestown High, Jackson Pasternak is the golden boy from the town’s most affluent neighborhood. Phil Reyno is the antagonistic punk living with his “very fun alcoholic” mother in a dingy apartment. They have nothing in common, but they were best friends until a few years ago. When Phil’s boyfriend, the milquetoast yet strangely conniving Cameron Ellis, publicly outs him at the school dance, Jackson knows something is up. Now an internet-famous, picture-perfect gay icon, Cameron unceremoniously dumps Phil but makes him out to be the villain on his popular vlog. So Phil decides to get even by taking down Cameron and the Skwad, his frustratingly woke friend group. Throw in Ronny DiSario (Cameron’s jilted ex-girlfriend) plus Jackson (the respectable boy no one would expect to be involved), and the revenge is on. As they hatch their plans, Jackson’s and Phil’s latent feelings for one another bubble up into a steamy and touching romance. With just enough plot twists to maintain interest without becoming disjointed, this enjoyable novel places readers in the minds and contemporary world of its protagonists while exploring the tempestuous nature of teen identity. Many central characters are white or racially ambiguous; Jackson is Jewish.
A sexy, irreverently witty, gay romance that takes teen issues seriously. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: April 9, 2024
ISBN: 9781335009968
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away.
A Mexican American boy takes on heavy responsibilities when his family is torn apart.
Mateo’s life is turned upside down the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents show up unsuccessfully seeking his Pa at his New York City bodega. The Garcias live in fear until the day both parents are picked up; his Pa is taken to jail and his Ma to a detention center. The adults around Mateo offer support to him and his 7-year-old sister, Sophie, however, he knows he is now responsible for caring for her and the bodega as well as trying to survive junior year—that is, if he wants to fulfill his dream to enter the drama program at the Tisch School of the Arts and become an actor. Mateo’s relationships with his friends Kimmie and Adam (a potential love interest) also suffer repercussions as he keeps his situation a secret. Kimmie is half Korean (her other half is unspecified) and Adam is Italian American; Mateo feels disconnected from them, less American, and with worries they can’t understand. He talks himself out of choosing a safer course of action, a decision that deepens the story. Mateo’s self-awareness and inner monologue at times make him seem older than 16, and, with significant turmoil in the main plot, some side elements feel underdeveloped. Aleman’s narrative joins the ranks of heart-wrenching stories of migrant families who have been separated.
An ode to the children of migrants who have been taken away. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5605-8
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
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
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