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1,000 REASONS NEVER TO KISS A BOY

Sixteen-year-old Jane has had it with boys. After she discovers her boyfriend Eliot making out with another girl in the cooler at the bagel store where they both work, she decides that she will pen her manifesto—“a thousand reasons never to kiss a boy.” Jane recounts the relationship’s past occurrences and stumbles upon its undoing, which should be no surprise to the reader; though Jane is blind to Eliot’s glaring faults, even a marginally perceptive reader will immediately pick up his less-than-honorable intentions. Jane’s relationship with Eliot is fairly typical; Eliot is a stereotypical teenaged male character who is only interested in himself and “one thing.” Jane struggles to make the choice to bend to peer pressure and “do it,” and wrestles introspectively about her impending choice. This solid chick-lit submission is predictably formulaic, from its pedestrian plot to its calculable characters. Nonetheless, it’s a wholesome read that will undoubtedly be popular with female teen readers. (Fiction. 12-16)

Pub Date: June 15, 2007

ISBN: 978-0-8234-2044-5

Page Count: 240

Publisher: Holiday House

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2007

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ONCE UPON A BROKEN HEART

From the Once Upon a Broken Heart series , Vol. 1

A lushly written story with an intriguing heart.

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After praying to a Fate for help, Evangeline discovers the dangerous world of magic.

When her father passes away, Evangeline is left with her cold stepmother and kind but distant stepsister, Marisol. Despite inheriting a steady trust in magic, belief in her late mother’s homeland of the mystical North (where fantastical creatures live), and philosophy of hope for the future, her dreams are dashed when Luc, her love, pledges to marry Marisol instead. Evangeline desperately prays to the Prince of Hearts, a dangerous and fickle Fate famed for his heart that is waiting to be revived by his one true love—and his potentially lethal kisses. The bargain they strike sends her on a dark and magical journey throughout the land. The writing style fluctuates from clever and original to overly verbose and often confusing in its jumble of senses. While the pervasive magic and concept of the Fates as a religious system add interest, other fantasy elements are haphazardly incorporated without enough time devoted to building a cohesive world. However, the themes of love, the power of story, family influence, and holding onto belief are well rounded and add depth. The plot contains welcome surprises, and the large cast piques curiosity; readers will wish more time was spent getting to know them. Evangeline has rose-gold hair and, like other main characters, reads as White; there is diversity among the fantasy races in this world.

A lushly written story with an intriguing heart. (map) (Fantasy. 12-16)

Pub Date: Sept. 28, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-250-26839-6

Page Count: 416

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Review Posted Online: July 27, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021

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THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY

The wish-fulfilling title and sun-washed, catalog-beautiful teens on the cover will be enticing for girls looking for a...

Han’s leisurely paced, somewhat somber narrative revisits several beach-house summers in flashback through the eyes of now 15-year-old Isabel, known to all as Belly. 

Belly measures her growing self by these summers and by her lifelong relationship with the older boys, her brother and her mother’s best friend’s two sons. Belly’s dawning awareness of her sexuality and that of the boys is a strong theme, as is the sense of summer as a separate and reflective time and place: Readers get glimpses of kisses on the beach, her best friend’s flirtations during one summer’s visit, a first date. In the background the two mothers renew their friendship each year, and Lauren, Belly’s mother, provides support for her friend—if not, unfortunately, for the children—in Susannah’s losing battle with breast cancer. Besides the mostly off-stage issue of a parent’s severe illness there’s not much here to challenge most readers—driving, beer-drinking, divorce, a moment of surprise at the mothers smoking medicinal pot together. 

The wish-fulfilling title and sun-washed, catalog-beautiful teens on the cover will be enticing for girls looking for a diversion. (Fiction. 12-14)

Pub Date: May 5, 2009

ISBN: 978-1-4169-6823-8

Page Count: 288

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2009

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