A masterpiece and a delight.
After losing a fight, a Greek American high school junior confronts both anxiety and an old family curse.
Angeleno Leonidas has never been a people person, especially not after the recent death of Yia Yia, his beloved paternal grandmother who came over from Greece to help raise him after his mother died when he was 4. Leo barely talks to his dad, who wants him to be more manly and quit pursuing artistic hobbies like knitting and photography. After his dad enrolls him in an intimidatingly macho self-defense class, Evey, who works at the gym, helps Leo secretly switch to hot yoga. She also pulls him into a plot of her own—and Leo breaks Yia Yia’s cardinal rule that he should steer clear of Evey’s Greek family due to a curse her family put on his. Actually, Evey’s quest for vengeance using Leo’s photography skills dovetails handily with Leo’s wish to feel comfortable in his own skin. Leo’s singular voice keeps pages turning and chuckles coming but also communicates a wealth of insight on topics from mental health stigma to toxic masculinity. Shared in the form of journal entries, the first-person narrative carefully manages readers’ emotions while sharing Leo’s own. The growth of Leo’s unlikely connection with his erstwhile bully illuminates the vulnerable humanity that can bloom when the veil of knee-jerk stereotypes falls away.
A masterpiece and a delight. (author's note) (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Dec. 29, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-399-55092-8
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Jan. 25, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
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
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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