Relatable, poignant, and full of hope.
Not knowing the other exists, half siblings Samira and Henry each take DNA tests and are surprised by the results.
Samira Murphy takes on too much responsibility. Ever since her grandfather died, she’s taken on even more, including caring for her grandmother and supervising her older brother’s participation in AA, all while preparing for college. After she decides to put her college funds toward rehab following her brother’s latest DUI, Samira takes a DNA test, hoping to track down and get overdue child support from their absentee father. Meanwhile, Henry Owen feels caught between his flighty biological mom and the overbearing, xenophobic aunt and uncle who’ve raised him. Hurtling toward a future he didn’t shape, Henry longs to slow down and forge a connection to his missing father and his Iranian heritage, and so he takes a DNA test too. When the test results link Samira and Henry to each other instead of Mohammed Safavi, as they expected, the two 17-year-olds continue their quest together, redefining family and untangling their U.S. Army veteran biological father’s complicated past. Readers are taken on a moving emotional journey through self-discovery, strained family ties, and the impacts of substance abuse and mental illness. The author effectively explores a number of substantive subjects with nuance in this ultimately hopeful story told through dual narratives. Samira and Henry are multiracial teens living in white families; additional ethnic diversity is shown in supporting characters.
Relatable, poignant, and full of hope. (Fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Oct. 24, 2023
ISBN: 9781250833709
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2023
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
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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