A multilayered, if uneven consideration of family, justice, the pressures teens face, and the power of forgiveness.
Violetta wanted a classy night of connection and affection with boyfriend Pascal; instead, the night ends up being one of destruction, despair, and death.
Fifteen-year-old Violetta Chen-Samuels’ decision to drive drunk caused the death of her 7-year-old sister, Vivian. Now she’s incarcerated in a juvenile justice facility, and her family has declined to forgive her, instead requesting that she participate in the Trials, interactive experiences ostensibly designed to teach her the severity of her actions. In chapters told from the alternating perspectives of Violetta and Vincent, her older brother, the circumstances that led up to the night of Vivian’s death are explored, as are Violetta’s experience of incarceration and her realization that forgiving herself may be more important than attaining the forgiveness of others. Central themes include questions of what constitutes justice, the state’s role in achieving it, and the ways that power and privilege corrupt the pursuit of it. Baker’s writing excels at showing rather than telling through vivid details that contribute to pacing that drags in the middle, although the last quarter of the book feels rushed. Violetta and her siblings are Chinese American on their mom’s side, and their dad is Black. Vincent and an aunt are unapologetically queer, as are some other supporting characters.
A multilayered, if uneven consideration of family, justice, the pressures teens face, and the power of forgiveness. (author’s note) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Aug. 15, 2023
ISBN: 9780593406847
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2023
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
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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