A satisfying and hopeful closer in a masterful trilogy.
A new game is starting in Bayview…but no one knows the rules in this latest installment in McManus’ bestselling One of Us Is Lying series.
After all they’ve endured, the Bayview Crew—made up of the original Bayview Four (Nate, Bronwyn, Cooper, and Addy); their successors (Maeve, Phoebe, and Knox); Cooper’s boyfriend, Kris; and Maeve’s boyfriend, Luis—attempt to move on with their lives. But Jake (Addy’s ex who tried to frame her for murder and almost killed her himself) has been released from jail and might even get a new trial. When a digital billboard in town ominously announces, “TIME FOR A NEW GAME, BAYVIEW,” the crew becomes vigilant, clinging to one another—because if they’ve learned anything since Simon’s death two years ago, it’s that everyone has secrets, and everyone is a target. While McManus, as expected, succeeds at engaging readers in another thrilling mystery, she focuses much attention on various characters’ challenges as they grow: Nate is determined to make himself worthy of Bronwyn’s love; Phoebe struggles to accept Knox’s affections while holding onto the secret of her brother’s involvement in Jared’s revenge on Addy’s brother-in-law; Addy must learn how to live in a world where she may have to encounter Jake again (despite the restraining order). And even from the grave Simon continues to have an impact on the community. Main characters read White; an earlier title describes Bronwyn and Maeve as Colombian American. (This review was updated for accuracy.)
A satisfying and hopeful closer in a masterful trilogy. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: July 25, 2023
ISBN: 9780593485019
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: April 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
A troubling depiction of an unhealthy relationship.
A battered girl and an injured rugby star spark up an ill-advised romance at an Irish secondary school.
Beautiful, waiflike, 15-year-old Shannon has lived her entire life in Ballylaggin. Alternately bullied at school and beaten by her ne’er-do-well father, she’s hopeful for a fresh start at Tommen, a private school. Seventeen-year-old Johnny, who has a hair-trigger temper and a severe groin injury, is used to Dublin’s elite-level rugby but, since his family’s move to County Cork, is now stuck captaining Tommen’s middling team. When Johnny angrily kicks a ball and knocks Shannon unconscious (“a soft female groan came from her lips”), a tentative relationship is born. As the two grow closer, Johnny’s past and Shannon’s present become serious obstacles to their budding love, threatening Shannon’s safety. Shannon’s portrayal feels infantilized (“I looked down at the tiny little female under my arm”), while Johnny comes across as borderline obsessive (“I knew I shouldn’t be touching her, but how the hell could I not?”). Uneven pacing and choppy sentences lead to a sudden climax and an unsatisfyingly abrupt ending. Repetitive descriptions, abundant and misogynistic dialogue (Johnny, to his best friend: “who’s the bitch with a vagina now?”), and graphic violence also weigh down this lengthy tome (considerably trimmed down from its original, self-published length). The cast of lively, well-developed supporting characters, especially Johnny’s best friend and Shannon’s protective older brother, is a bright spot. Major characters read white.
A troubling depiction of an unhealthy relationship. (author’s note, pronunciations, glossary, song moments, playlists) (Romance. 16-18)Pub Date: Nov. 28, 2023
ISBN: 9781728299945
Page Count: 626
Publisher: Bloom Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2023
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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