A swoonworthy Sapphic holiday romance.
Estranged best friends fall in love amid holiday cheer.
Hollywood actor Arden James hails from the small town of Barnwich, where she and Caroline Beckett grew up as best friends. Four years ago, Arden left to pursue her career in Los Angeles and never returned, leaving Caroline heartbroken. Now, in an attempt to prove her small-town authenticity and land a role she desperately wants, Arden comes home at Christmastime and convinces Caroline to fake date her for 12 days. In exchange. Caroline gets to write a Cosmopolitan article about the experience; the byline will help her quest to study journalism at Columbia. As they progress through their dates, from stealing a Christmas tree to sampling unusual hot chocolate, their romantic feelings for one another resurface. But as they grow closer, their real lives feel further and further apart. The backdrop of Barnwich makes for a believably charming holiday setting, populated by pleasant people and ample Christmas traditions (Caroline, who has one Jewish and one Catholic parent, even finds a way to celebrate both sides of her heritage). Arden and Caroline, who alternate first-person point-of-view chapters, feel like real teenagers, each with relatable struggles and desires, and their relationship unfolds in an organic, well-paced way. Their palpable chemistry lends verisimilitude to the story’s many tender romantic moments. Caroline presents white; Arden is implied biracial and was raised by her Korean grandmother.
A swoonworthy Sapphic holiday romance. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781665937566
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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
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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