An enjoyable read with enough emotional turmoil and sweet romantic moments to satisfy the YA crowd.
First impressions can be deceiving, as Barnes (Olivia Twisted, 2013, etc.) reveals in her new YA novel.
Sixteen-year-old Alexis Dubois is serving a two-month sentence…at SmartMart. She’s pretty, athletic and part of the popular crowd at high school. Her summer plans consist of volunteering at a kids’ baseball camp and spending time with her friends. She never imagined putting in long hours at SmartMart, the local big-box store (which bears a close resemblance in name and reputation to Walmart). Unfortunately for Lex, she’s caught stealing from the store, and working there is the only way to avoid charges. Lex is mortified by her co-workers, the same people she once mocked on YouTube. But it doesn’t take long for her to realize that there’s more to these people of SmartMart than she first thought. Sure, the shoppers are still weird and creepy. But Lex befriends her co-workers and learns they all have stories buried not far underneath the surface, including the oh-so-handsome manager, Noah. Things are looking up for Lex until she discovers Noah is a pariah at her high school and the archnemesis of her best friend’s boyfriend. She can’t possibly hang out with them both, but she can’t fight her attraction for Noah. Barnes introduces a likable cast of characters in a light and frothy addition to the YA genre. The formula is relatively predictable: girl meets boy and must overcome disapproval and life challenges to make the romance succeed. Yet Barnes’ tongue-in-cheek observations on the wacky world of child beauty pageants and the bizarre customer base at SmartMart are particularly amusing in a modern society that has spawned Honey Boo Boo and Walmart Supercenters. Other portions of the book, such as Lex dealing with her grandmother’s gradual and painful slide into Alzheimer’s disease, contain poignant moments that offset the lightness. Teen readers in particular should be able to relate to Lex and her star-crossed romance, family conflict and struggles with the future.
An enjoyable read with enough emotional turmoil and sweet romantic moments to satisfy the YA crowd.Pub Date: Feb. 3, 2015
ISBN: 978-1622665211
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Review Posted Online: Feb. 6, 2015
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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 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
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