A vibrant and poignant must-read.
A heart-wrenching story of friendship, grief, and identity.
Eighteen-year-old Rory Quinn-Morelli is grieving the death of her best friend, Liv Martinez; she’s been forced into therapy by her mother, who’s “on a mission to fix” Rory after the “Xanax Incident.” Faculty kid Rory, who reads white, met Liv when she showed up late to Telsey College Prep’s fifth-period choir in a bathrobe. Rory was instantly transfixed, doing a deep dive on Insta and finding Liv’s profile, “Bio: she/her ** filipinx ** irritated” (Liv’s mom is cued white). Choir brings them together, music bonds them—from Bowie to Amy Winehouse, they create “endless, chaotic” playlists for each other. Liv draws Rory into her friend group and away from Rory’s gay friend, Stoff. Rory and Liv spend the next year going to parties, seeing bands, and hanging out. When Liv starts hooking up with classmate Milo, Rory experiences a telltale “tug” in her stomach. It doesn’t make things weird, but it does awaken Rory. Until, that is, the “Worst Night,” when a car crash ends Liv’s life, Rory at her side. The heart of Liv and Rory’s story, the painstaking confrontation of loss, and the unconditional embrace of a parent’s love are deftly threaded through the pristine prose. However, it is Rory’s teetering between then and now that tethers all this unbearable beauty as she tackles the exquisiteness of healing, acceptance, and love.
A vibrant and poignant must-read. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Aug. 22, 2023
ISBN: 9781635830897
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Flux
Review Posted Online: Aug. 22, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
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
A treat for mystery readers who enjoy being kept in suspense.
Everyone believes that Salil Singh killed his girlfriend, Andrea Bell, five years ago—except Pippa Fitz-Amobi.
Pip has known and liked Sal since childhood; he’d supported her when she was being bullied in middle school. For her senior capstone project, Pip researches the disappearance of former Fairview High student Andie, last seen on April 18, 2014, by her younger sister, Becca. The original investigation concluded with most of the evidence pointing to Sal, who was found dead in the woods, apparently by suicide. Andie’s body was never recovered, and Sal was assumed by most to be guilty of abduction and murder. Unable to ignore the gaps in the case, Pip sets out to prove Sal’s innocence, beginning with interviewing his younger brother, Ravi. With his help, Pip digs deeper, unveiling unsavory facts about Andie and the real reason Sal’s friends couldn’t provide him with an alibi. But someone is watching, and Pip may be in more danger than she realizes. Pip’s sleuthing is both impressive and accessible. Online articles about the case and interview transcripts are provided throughout, and Pip’s capstone logs offer insights into her thought processes as new evidence and suspects arise. Jackson’s debut is well-executed and surprises readers with a connective web of interesting characters and motives. Pip and Andie are white, and Sal is of Indian descent.
A treat for mystery readers who enjoy being kept in suspense. (Mystery. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-9636-0
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2019
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