An often humorous and insightful story of teens becoming self-aware young adults.
A talented student athlete learns that there’s more to life than the swim team when an injury sidelines her in Marshall’s YA novel.
Reece Denning counted on getting an athletic scholarship to an Ivy League college (“There was no Plan B”), but a shoulder injury forces her to leave her elite sports academy and attend a new school while she recovers. There, her goofball (“Spontaneity, it’s the way to go”) but determined older brother, Jamie, runs for student council president and provides comic relief. After his VP selection is disqualified, Reece becomes his reluctant running mate. Due to a preposterous campaign promise of free ice cream, Jamie and Reece are victorious. However, to keep her brother’s college plans moving forward, Reece must play ant to his grasshopper and keep him on task. The counterpoint to Jamie’s fecklessness and Reece’s singled-minded focus is Zain, a student council member who coerces Jamie into writing a student-council constitution, and Reece ends up helping. She meets Zain, and they began a touch-and-go relationship that’s deeper than puppy love but complicated by the fact that an accident required the amputation of one of Zain’s legs, for which he wears a prosthetic; although he’s captain of the basketball team, he knows that he’ll never get an athletic scholarship, but he plans on pursuing a law career. He’s aware of the law’s limitations, however, noting the “crappy settlement” he received for his accident, which, for Reece, strikes close to home. Reece narrates Marshall’s energetic novel with none of the breathlessness and chattiness that one often finds in books for and about teens, and the strong characterizations make the main players’ behavior realistic; for instance, Reece, despite her staunch athleticism, attends a few alcohol-fueled parties as she gets acclimated to her new surroundings, as many teens would. The action and exposition come at a fast clip, but not so quickly as to overwhelm and confuse readers, and although the constitution subplot feels like a bit of a run-around, the author does smoothly integrate it into the plot. In the end, the protagonist comes to an important realization—that, in life, “Perfection was overrated.”
An often humorous and insightful story of teens becoming self-aware young adults.Pub Date: Nov. 6, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-369-50457-9
Page Count: 322
Publisher: Evernight Teen
Review Posted Online: Nov. 29, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A high-concept premise that falls short in its execution.
A teenage girl finds herself alone after everyone else in her town mysteriously disappears, leaving her scrambling to figure out how to find them all.
One late summer day, everybody in July Fielding’s town disappears. She is left to piece together what happened, following a series of cryptic signs she finds around town urging her to “GET THEM BACK.” The narrative moves back and forth between July’s present and the events of the summer before, when her relationship with her best friend, cross-country team co-captain Sydney, starts to fracture due to a combination of jealousy over July’s new relationship with a cute boy called Sam and sweet up-and-coming freshman Ella’s threatening to overtake Syd’s status as star of the track team. The team members participate in a ritual in which they jump off a cliff into the rocky waters below at the end of their Friday practice runs. Though Ella is reluctant, Syd pressures her to jump. Short, frenetically paced sections move the story along quickly, and there is much foreshadowing pointing to something terrible that occurred at the end of that summer, which may be the key to July’s current predicament, but there is much misdirection too. Ultimately this is a story without enough setup to make the turn the book takes in the end feel fully developed or earned. All characters read white.
A high-concept premise that falls short in its execution. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2023
ISBN: 9780593327173
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023
Rom-com fans will love this joyride through Philadelphia.
An entertaining romp reminiscent of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
High school senior Grace Barbour needs a break from school, and she’s pretty sure her best friends, Isabel Cruz and Everett Adler, do too. The student body president engages in some subterfuge (and begging) to get the pair to skip school and hit the road for the best day ever. Grace’s motives aren’t entirely altruistic—she has growing feelings for Everett, who’s Isa’s ex. She needs them to make up ASAP so she and Everett can move forward with their relationship. Isa, meanwhile, is keeping a secret from Grace—she and Grace’s brother, James, have feelings for one another (and James is hot on the trio’s trail). An unforgettable day unfolds, as the longtime friends, who are just a month from graduation, deal with their entangled bonds, reveal secrets, explore the city, and eat cheesesteaks. Despite a slightly slow start, Walther’s latest ramps up to become a lively and enjoyable read. The Philadelphia setting shines as the friends reminisce about their childhoods growing up just outside the city and the special bond their families share. Mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, and grief, are dealt with sympathetically between capers. The multifaceted characters effectively deal with their problems through satisfying conversations. Isa is Latine, Everett is Jewish and cued white, and Grace, who’s bisexual, also presents white.
Rom-com fans will love this joyride through Philadelphia. (Romance. 13-18)Pub Date: March 4, 2025
ISBN: 9780593813959
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Delacorte Romance
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2025
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