A breezy, queer teen romance that is Wilde-inspired but not Wilde-an in execution.
Eighteen-year-old New Yorker Janey is blindsided by the possibility of contact with her biological family while also trying to win over the girl of her dreams.
It’s the end of senior year for Janey and her wealthy best friend, Algie. For years, Janey has been totally smitten by Gwen, a cousin of Algie’s who will be visiting for spring break. Meanwhile, Algie is pursuing Janey’s wide-eyed cousin, Cecil. Janey’s life is complicated by her notoriety as former viral internet sensation “Bag Baby,” so called due to her adoptive father’s finding her abandoned in a Gucci handbag in a train station in Poughkeepsie. Janey was happy not knowing anything about her biological family until a DNA test—submitted without her consent by Algie, a violation that is treated relatively lightly—reveals an aunt and a cousin whom Janey is not sure she wants to meet. The story, inspired by The Importance of Being Earnest, is a lighthearted romance with just enough drama and some sincere exploration of familial and romantic relationships. However, Oscar Wilde fans should be aware that it only really offers the window dressing of the play that inspired it—names, a top hat, a baby left in a handbag—and not the farcical plot, witty dialogue, or social satire. Readers who can accept that will find this to be a fun, easy, and romantic read. All of the characters read as White.
A breezy, queer teen romance that is Wilde-inspired but not Wilde-an in execution. (Romance. 13-18)Pub Date: June 21, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-358-56613-7
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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
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