A sweet beach read for adults but may not be as popular with teens.
The summer before college is one to remember.
Recent high school grad Wesley Hudson, 18 and gay, is home in Santa Monica after a few weeks in Italy with his parents, a noted chef and a successful YA author. Wesley now has the summer to work at an indie bookshop, hang out with his co-workers, and spend quality time with his best friends, caustic, proudly fat Ella and skater Nico, before entering UCLA. Or does he? Wesley’s not really sure about college, leaving his home-away-from-home job, and being hours away from Nico, on whom he also has a crush. When Ella discovers the bookstore might be closing, it’s up to the gang to save the day while Wesley pursues Nico (and is pursued by hunky Manu). Wesley is biracial with a white mom and light-skinned black dad; Ella is white, and Nico is Mexican American. The inclusion of a range of ethnicities and queer cultures enriches the novel; however, the identity of an aromantic asexual bookstore friend is mentioned without much development. One weakness is teen characters who reference Madonna, listen to music produced before the year 2000, and love Empire Records and Buffy the Vampire Slayer—in short, they feel like, and will appeal most to, Millennials. Fans of the friends-to-lovers trope will enjoy the amusing voice.
A sweet beach read for adults but may not be as popular with teens. (Fiction. 14-adult)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-945053-91-7
Page Count: 312
Publisher: Interlude Press
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2020
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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