Delivers on genre must-haves while successfully challenging outdated conventions.
Senior Ella Parker-Evans challenges her new private school’s student council status quo with the help of the principal’s son.
Ella takes her responsibilities as older sister to Connie very seriously, thanks in part to pressure from her parents. To help Connie escape bullying at her public school, the girls’ parents transfer them to Courtland Academy, where Ella can continue her protective role. On their first day of school, however, the entitled class president publicly humiliates Connie by reading aloud a sensual scene from her fan fiction and making innuendos. Incensed, Ella starts a petition for a new election and gets her name on the ballot. It’s hard to win as a brand-new student, so Ella strikes up a deal with handsome Patrick, the principal’s son: He’ll fake date her, using his popularity to bolster her chances. In return, she’ll help him secure a coveted apprenticeship at her mom’s restaurant in hopes of persuading his parents to support his dreams of culinary school. Predictably (and delightfully), the plan gets complicated when real feelings simmer below the surface of their pretend relationship. The leads are white; refreshingly, Ella is described as both fat and desirable. The writing is strongest during the swoonworthy scenes, which are dripping in romantic tension. The plot moves along at a nice pace, and the ending doesn’t disappoint.
Delivers on genre must-haves while successfully challenging outdated conventions. (Romance. 13-18)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9780063243774
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
PERSPECTIVES
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 lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.
The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.
Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798987380406
Page Count: 538
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
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