A romantic story with serious elements that will have readers wringing their hands and holding their breath.
In this sequel to 2023’s The Prince and the Apocalypse, an 18-year-old American girl tries to return to normal life following the threat of a global apocalypse—and the heartache of a lost first love.
Wren Wheeler isn’t sure if she’s legally married to the soon-to-be king of England. Was their sudden marriage of necessity on a Greek island during what was supposed to be everyone’s last week on Earth really binding? After she returns to Chicago following Comet Week, Wren receives a marriage certificate bearing Crown Prince Theo’s signature and legal name, not the fake name she’d assumed he’d use. Desperate to know the truth—and reunite with the dog she left behind when she walked away from Theo in an act of altruism—Wren, along with best friend Naomi and older sister Brooke, travels to see Theodore Geoffrey Edward George. But, as with their last adventure, nothing goes right for the couple. Plagued by the paparazzi, controlled by the Firm, and concerned about protecting each other, Wren and Theo face numerous obstacles, not least of which are his family and a plane crash into the ocean near a deserted island. This action-packed, fast-paced story can stand alone, but having familiarity with the earlier book will help readers connect more deeply with the characters. The supporting characters’ witty dialogue balances the leads’ somewhat repetitively conveyed fears. Most characters are cued white.
A romantic story with serious elements that will have readers wringing their hands and holding their breath. (Romance. 13-18)Pub Date: July 9, 2024
ISBN: 9781250873071
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: April 20, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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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