Rom-com lovers will be charmed by this magical story.
Ellie is thrown together with her ex–best friend in this work that weaves light fantasy elements into a contemporary romance.
Junior year is over, and Japanese American Ellie Kobata is excited to start her summer road trip with her best friend, Lia Park. They’re driving from Palo Alto to the California Magical Retailers’ Convention in Huntington Beach: Ellie, who is from a sorcerer family, will work the trade show while Lia, who is non-magic-aware, visits family. Ellie’s family has a tea shop, and the joy charm they use gives their tea a little something extra. Ever since Jack Yasuda, her Italian and Japanese childhood best friend whose parents run CharmWorks (“basically the Walmart version of charm shops”), abruptly dropped her in middle school, Ellie began to feel invisible. She has created an Anti-Wallflower List consisting of 13 things to challenge herself and show who she truly is. Seeking revenge on Jack is on there, but when her prank goes wrong, it has consequences for Lia and their friendship, and Ellie is forced to drive to CMRC with Jack instead. The trip starts off awkwardly, but with time, Ellie sees the old Jack she remembers and realizes that there is more to him—and maybe more to their relationship. Abe’s sweet, fun coming-of-age tale incorporates themes of friendship and family in a beautifully described world with captivating details, including enchantments and secret magical cottages.
Rom-com lovers will be charmed by this magical story. (Romance. 12-18)Pub Date: July 5, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-83009-8
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: April 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2022
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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