An engaging and perceptive story of love, grief, and personal awakening.
Although Noreen Mirza is graduating high school, the one-year death anniversary of her beloved aunt Sonia Khala dominates her thoughts.
When she learns that her mother will be spending a few months in New Delhi for work, Noreen, a Pakistani American Muslim who aspires to become a screenwriter, defers her college entrance to travel with her to the city that Sonia Khala had dreamed of visiting. In India, Noreen spends time with Kabir, a thoughtful, attractive young filmmaker who takes her to visit ancient Mughal ruins and historic religious sites and is sensitive to her grief. When Kabir’s world is rocked by allegations of his writer father’s sexual misconduct, Noreen supports him even as she confronts her own troubled relationship with her estranged father. She struggles to understand the impact that relationship, along with her fear of further loss, has had on her ability to open herself up to love. Filled with beautiful imagery, sensory language, clever structuring, and humor, this is a romantic coming-of-age story. The author also explores South Asian politics, culture, and history, touching on issues such as Islamophobia, racism, and violence toward women in a complicated country during the #MeToo era. Glimpses of poverty, classism, and the struggles of people living in poverty contrast with the privilege and wealth of Noreen, Kabir, and their elite circle.
An engaging and perceptive story of love, grief, and personal awakening. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 18, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-284548-1
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
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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