A sincere story about personal risks and emotional growth.
Las Vegas teen Skyler Davidson has been trying to live her astrophysicist mother’s life ever since third grade, when her mom died in a car accident.
Now a high school senior, Skyler’s aiming for MIT (her mom’s alma mater) so that she can become an astronaut and finish her mother’s research on neutron stars. Unfortunately, Skyler’s SAT score was disappointing, but a new NASA internship for teens could be the perfect opportunity—if she can make a good enough application video. At times, the first-person narration has enough humor and heart to make Skyler relatable. Regarding her insta-love toward videographer and fellow senior Cooper: “Falling into a crush is like catching a deadly virus—you don’t know it’s happened to you, but once you see the symptoms, it’s already too late.” Mostly, though, Skyler’s characterization disappointingly feels like a collection of stereotypes of STEM-focused people: She has no friends or hobbies, she thinks emotions are useless, she’s constantly pedantic, she’s obsessed with grades, and—of course—she can solve a Rubik’s Cube in 37 seconds. Skyler has never even thought of a real name for her beloved pet rat and simply calls her Five (her laboratory specimen number). Still, it’s gratifying to watch Skyler’s developing romance with Cooper, her sweet growing friendship with his athletic sister, and her mature détente with the young makeup influencer her dad is dating. Characters are implied white.
A sincere story about personal risks and emotional growth. (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: May 21, 2024
ISBN: 9781682636015
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Peachtree Teen
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024
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 heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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