A sweet, heartbreaking summer romance with a timey-wimey twist.
Two boys are repeatedly reincarnated together, finding love throughout history—but with loss soon following behind.
At a summer carnival in present-day Orlando, Florida, Riley Iverson faints upon meeting his friend’s “hot new neighbor,” Jackson Haines. Seeing Jackson conjures up a vision of the two of them together in Pompeii. Riley retreats further behind the walls he’s put up to protect his bruised heart. Jackson, who’s a straight jock, feels pressure from his high-achieving parents, and he’s not sure whether he plays football for himself or because it’s expected. He’s haunted by something that led him to leave Tallahassee, but meeting Riley makes the adjustment easier. It feels like they’ve always belonged together, leaving Jackson questioning his sexuality. Both boys, who are coded white, begin suddenly passing out and dreaming of steamy interludes between their past selves—as well as their subsequent deaths. All of this makes finding a way forward together difficult: How much is a life with one’s soulmate worth if it means you don’t get to live long at all? With flashes of humor and wisdom sprinkled throughout, this layered story of love cut short is endearing, entertaining, and full of heartache. The blend of love and tragedy on both cosmic and familial scales will appeal to fans of Adam Silvera, and the occasional commentary on the current state of queer rights makes it a topical and necessary exercise in solidarity for queer teens.
A sweet, heartbreaking summer romance with a timey-wimey twist. (historical note) (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: May 20, 2025
ISBN: 9780063062610
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2025
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 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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