A potentially tender romance limited by shallow character development.
Emotionally shuttered 16-year-old trans boy Neil has his world shaken when he starts to fall for his fake boyfriend.
Neil wants to make it extremely clear to Josh, his heartbroken ex-friend-with-benefits, that they’re finished, so he enlists Wyatt, his roommate at their expensive boarding school, to be his date to his brother Michael’s weeklong Beverly Hills wedding celebration. They just have to pretend to be boyfriends in front of Josh, who’ll be attending because his brother is Michael’s best man, and then they can go back to hating and ignoring each other—or so Neil thinks. Aspiring musician Wyatt is lured in by Neil’s promise of an audition with recording studio executive Michael. Neil ultimately finds there is more to Wyatt than he realized. The book fully leans into the poor-little-rich-boy trope but fails to make readers actually feel that bad for Neil. Facing transphobia from his family and the world at large, he understandably has put up defenses; however, when it comes to awareness of his financial privilege and showing basic civility toward Wyatt, he is so unpleasant for so long that it is hard to get to the part where he learns his lesson. Conversely, Wyatt’s multiracial, two-mom family is financially poor but rich in love in ways that feel stereotypical. The fluttery romance that develops between the boys is not enough to make up for this lack of depth and nuance in characterization. Main characters are White.
A potentially tender romance limited by shallow character development. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-338-77766-6
Page Count: 336
Publisher: PUSH/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2022
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
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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