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THE KARMA MAP

A heartwarming story about personal growth.

An Indian American teen sheds her mean girl persona and tries to find herself while chaperoning a pilgrimage.

Tara Bajaj, former co-captain of the Rutgers High Bollywood dance team, becomes a social outcast after reporting the team’s attempt to sabotage a competitor. She accepts her classmates’ bullying as punishment for her behavior but is nonetheless relieved to spend the summer after graduation in India as a junior guide on a Hindu pilgrimage for teens. There isn’t much excitement in it for Tara, who spent her childhood on similar trips with her religious mother, but she figures she can rediscover herself while abroad. Eighteen-year-old Silas D’Souza-Gupta, on the other hand, is enthusiastic about being a junior guide. His mothers met on this exact pilgrimage, and Silas, who was adopted from Goa, plans to re-create their photos for a photojournalism competition. Although Silas’ glowing positivity initially clashes with Tara’s restrained demeanor, the two begin opening up to each other over clandestine McDonald’s meals and trips to outdoor food markets. As they tour temples and hike mountains in North India, Tara and Silas share their fears and hopes with each other and their boisterous group of teens, incorporating issues of socio-economic privilege, queer identity, religious belief, and cultural ownership into thoughtful, sometimes explicitly expository, conversations. The romance between Tara and Silas is sweet and develops alongside their self-understanding; the abrupt ending, while tidy, may leave readers wanting a little more.

A heartwarming story about personal growth. (map, author’s note, content warnings) (Romance. 13-18)

Pub Date: March 1, 2023

ISBN: 9781662500770

Page Count: 256

Publisher: Skyscape

Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2023

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IF HE HAD BEEN WITH ME

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

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NOTHING LIKE THE MOVIES

From the Better Than the Movies series , Vol. 2

A worthy second-chance romance.

In this follow-up to 2021’s Better Than the Movies, a 20-year-old college freshman gets a second chance at his dreams.

After the death of his father and his mother’s subsequent physical and emotional disappearance, Wes Bennett left behind all of his plans and the girl he made them with to go home and take care of Sarah, his younger sister. But now, Sarah has graduated, his mom is back on her feet, and by some miracle, Wes has an offer to pitch for UCLA’s baseball team. Liz Buxbaum, the girl he’s always loved, works for the university’s athletic department, taking photos and video of the team for social media, which means that maybe he can have a second chance at love, too. But since Wes left, Liz has made every effort to protect herself from ever feeling that broken again; there’s no room for love, because she doesn’t believe in it anymore. Or she doesn’t want to. This second-chance sports romance includes fake dates, quippy and quirky best friends, real heartache, and the sweet ache of first love. The clever dialogue keeps readers from drowning in the main characters’ emotional push-and-pull. Reading the first novel isn’t necessary for appreciating this one, although knowing the full history between Wes and Liz will only add to the ache and longing readers feel from and for them. Main characters are cued white.

A worthy second-chance romance. (Romance. 14-18)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024

ISBN: 9781665947138

Page Count: 368

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024

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