Honestly portrays the dark parts of life—and shows that there is hope.
Three suicidal teens find reasons to live when they develop friendships while preparing for their ends.
Mehreen Miah, Cara Saunders, and Olivia Castleton have one thing in common: They want to end their lives. The three girls meet via the website MementoMori.com, “a matchmaking service for suicide partners.” As a practicing Muslim, Bengali British Mehreen feels the site offers the loophole she needs—“someone else to take away the guilt, take the blame”—as she tries to escape the negative voice in her head she calls the Chaos. Lesbian Cara was left paraplegic by a tragic car accident and is struggling to adjust; she seeks assistance to end her life. Meanwhile, Olivia is counting on the site to help her escape sexual abuse by her mother’s boyfriend. Cara and Olivia read white. With each meeting after they’re matched, the girls feel more seen and understood. But when the tasks set forth by MementoMori get more sinister, the girls decide that suicide may not be the answer. Even so, their demons are not so easily shaken off. Rahman thoughtfully fleshes out each character. The jagged typeface representing Mehreen’s intrusive thoughts and the striking layout of the free verse in Olivia’s chapters amplify their perspectives and enhance Rahman’s skillful writing. Though friendship becomes a reason to live, it is not a magic cure; the characters’ struggles despite their new relationships feel poignantly realistic.
Honestly portrays the dark parts of life—and shows that there is hope. (author’s note, content warning, resources) (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2023
ISBN: 9781728467108
Page Count: 440
Publisher: Carolrhoda Lab
Review Posted Online: July 31, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2023
PERSPECTIVES
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
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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