Breezy and fresh meditation on privacy and relationships in the internet age, with a likable protagonist who would rather...
What is it like to grow up with no privacy because your mother has shared your entire existence on the internet?
Twin sisters Claire and Poppy Dixon (assumed white) have grown up in Gilbert, Arizona—but also in the public eye of millions of strangers thanks to their mother’s incessant mommy blogging. As a high school senior, Claire is disenchanted with her fishbowl existence. The arrival of worldly, well-traveled new student Rafael Alejandro Luna (who is half of Mexican descent and doesn’t know his mother) provides Claire with the opportunity to be “Just Claire” instead of internet famous. Later, after Rafael discovers her online identity, the teens grow closer until Claire feels safe enough to reveal even deeper secrets. In her debut novel, McDowell combines a strong plot with snippets of text, emails, and website comments to deliver a clever meditation on privacy, family, and loyalty. Using a first-person perspective, the novel focuses on topical issues such as phone addiction and social media obsession while also addressing typical teen fare of romance and family drama. The fast-paced action and several surprising plot developments keep the reader’s interest as the tension between Claire and her family mounts and her attraction to the unusually forgiving Rafael grows.
Breezy and fresh meditation on privacy and relationships in the internet age, with a likable protagonist who would rather code than braid her hair for a fashion vlog. (Fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Jan. 29, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-948705-19-6
Page Count: 250
Publisher: Amberjack Publishing
Review Posted Online: Sept. 29, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2018
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 worthy second-chance romance.
In this follow-up to 2021’s Better Than the Movies, a 20-year-old college freshman gets a second chance at his dreams.
After the death of his father and his mother’s subsequent physical and emotional disappearance, Wes Bennett left behind all of his plans and the girl he made them with to go home and take care of Sarah, his younger sister. But now, Sarah has graduated, his mom is back on her feet, and by some miracle, Wes has an offer to pitch for UCLA’s baseball team. Liz Buxbaum, the girl he’s always loved, works for the university’s athletic department, taking photos and video of the team for social media, which means that maybe he can have a second chance at love, too. But since Wes left, Liz has made every effort to protect herself from ever feeling that broken again; there’s no room for love, because she doesn’t believe in it anymore. Or she doesn’t want to. This second-chance sports romance includes fake dates, quippy and quirky best friends, real heartache, and the sweet ache of first love. The clever dialogue keeps readers from drowning in the main characters’ emotional push-and-pull. Reading the first novel isn’t necessary for appreciating this one, although knowing the full history between Wes and Liz will only add to the ache and longing readers feel from and for them. Main characters are cued white.
A worthy second-chance romance. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781665947138
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
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