A swoonworthy, heart-wrenching view into the trials of growing up second generation in an immigrant community.
A Taiwanese American teen joins forces with a childhood friend for a contest, only to discover that victory may cost her everything.
Seventeen-year-old Juliana Zhao loves love. Sure, she’s never actually been in love, but she has a knack for sensing when two people belong together, as evidenced by her successful matchmaking record. And Juliana is no stranger to success; she’s ranked first in her class and is president of the Student Business Association. Yet, as she prepares to enter the Asian Americans in Business Competition, which was founded by her late father, she finds herself floundering after she’s dumped by her project partner at the last minute. Desperate, Juliana turns to an estranged childhood friend, Garrett Tsai. Though reluctant to participate, pessimistic Garrett turns out to be the perfect teammate. Playing on the grumpy-sunshine trope, the two start a relationship advice website using the pseudonyms Sunny and Cloudy, with each offering their own take on each question. The narrative is structured around the competition, but the emotional heart of the story lies elsewhere. Both children of recent immigrants, Garrett and Juliana struggle with parental expectations and social judgment within the tightknit Taiwanese community. The challenges they face from being “raised by one culture but living in another” will ring true for readers who share their identity, while the sweetness of their romance will win over everyone else.
A swoonworthy, heart-wrenching view into the trials of growing up second generation in an immigrant community. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: July 23, 2024
ISBN: 9780063237889
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: April 20, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2024
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
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
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