Funny, serious, and adorably awkward in all the best ways.
A lesbian who doesn’t believe in love plays dating coach.
Naveah has never had “an official girlfriend”—she’s against dating on principle; relationships are too “messy.” Instead, Nav keeps things casual and fun, unlike her bisexual best friend, Hallie (both girls are Black). Hallie is constantly getting her heart broken. After Hallie’s latest boyfriend turns out to be a cheater, Nav is determined to fix things for her. The problem is that Hallie is headed to an academic summer camp Nav didn’t get into. Then Italian and Mexican American new girl Gia, who has social anxiety and whose mom is a sponsor for Hallie’s camp, asks Nav for help getting Hallie’s attention. Nav agrees to teach Gia how to win over Hallie in exchange for the spot at camp that Gia’s planning to give up. Since Nav is good at flirting, this should be simple—but after Gia’s anxiety ruins her first date with Hallie, Nav has to go back to basics with her romance lessons. When Nav starts to have feelings for Gia, she panics. Nav hates change—and now she has to decide whether her perfect summer plan is more important than taking a chance on love. The highly relatable characters make cringeworthy mistakes while also showing their vulnerability. This book is about more than just romantic love: Lewis balances family trauma and complicated relationships with depictions of strong support systems.
Funny, serious, and adorably awkward in all the best ways. (Romance. 12-18)Pub Date: April 29, 2025
ISBN: 9781335012388
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
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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