A headline-worthy romance that addresses topical subjects with gravity and gaiety.
A collegiate newsroom rivalry leads to romance.
Headstrong Éowyn “Wyn” Evans is set on landing a staff position on her college newspaper, a step toward one day winning a Pulitzer Prize. Her nemesis and fellow freshman intern, the handsome, privileged, frat pledge Nathaniel “Three” Wellborn III, is equally determined to get the reporter role. (Readers met Three in Markum’s 2022 novel, This May End Badly, but this work stands alone.) The race is on—and Wyn won’t let classes or a miserable campus job stand in the way. When a drug scandal rocks Wyn’s dorm, she pivots from breaking news to human interest with help from her supportive suitemates, Dara and Madison, and the anonymous guy she chats with on a campus dating app. Even as they acquire more bylines, the fiery chemistry between the two intrepid journalists grows. Wyn’s first-person narration refreshingly navigates body positivity and the mental health challenges many young people experience. Other topical subjects, such as dating, drugs, race, and class, are thoughtfully navigated if not wholly explored. The zippy momentum of the narrative occasionally renders callbacks to subplots and minor characters difficult to follow, although some supporting characters, such as Wyn’s lovably cringe parents, are well developed. Comedic hijinks and campus encounters keep the romantic tension simmering throughout, and message exchanges via the dating app provide nuanced character development that makes the ultimate reveal doubly rewarding. Main characters are cued white.
A headline-worthy romance that addresses topical subjects with gravity and gaiety. (author’s note) (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: June 11, 2024
ISBN: 9781665955720
Page Count: 416
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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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