An original blend of queer romance, nuanced revenge plot, and religious deconstruction.
An outcast teen in Ohio returns to Bible camp with a secret vendetta.
Riley Ackerman’s family stopped going to church after the sanctimonious Pastor Young publicly shamed her and her sister, Hannah; Riley came out as bisexual, and Hannah had an abortion. But walking away forever is proving difficult for Riley since the pastor’s twins, Ben and Julia, are her longtime best friends—and she has a secret crush on Julia that she’s afraid to reveal. When Riley gets in a fight at school with Hannah’s former best friend, she dodges suspension by accepting a deal from the principal: She agrees to attend church camp over spring break (along with peers who see her as a lost soul) and submit an essay containing her reflections on what she’s learned. But Riley won’t be subdued so easily. She decides instead to write a scathing takedown of Pastor Young’s teachings, which becomes a secret crusade to undermine his authority among the other campers, too. But in the process of seeking her revenge, Riley becomes aware that her feelings on the situation—and maybe everyone else’s—are more complicated than she realized. Though the book’s themes are seemingly heavy, they’re sweetened by pop culture references galore and the narrator’s sharp, clever sense of humor. Riley and the majority of the cast members in this Midwestern Baptist community are white.
An original blend of queer romance, nuanced revenge plot, and religious deconstruction. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: March 4, 2025
ISBN: 9780593692745
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025
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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