An entertaining teen romance that bakes in a story of self-discovery.
A teenager’s usual confidence wavers when she’s unexpectedly chosen for the homecoming court in this YA romance.
High school senior Ariel Duncan, a talented baker with a curvy silhouette, generally goes by Cupcake. Her baking (and rom-com movie) vlog has some 12,000 followers—not bad for small-town Honeycomb, Georgia. She’s not into football culture, so she is astonished to be nominated for the homecoming court. As she puts it to herself, “I love my body, but I’ll never fit the mold of what society thinks a princess should be.” Her prince partner is Rhys Castle, the school’s muscular, square-jawed “golden boy quarterback.” Strangely, when he’s given the opportunity to switch partners, he refuses. Though Rhys tends to be grimly uncommunicative, he can seem friendly, even flirty, keeping Cupcake off balance. One reason she loves baking is the control it gives her: “If you followed a recipe to the letter, you were ensured a great result.” But there’s no recipe for a relationship with Rhys, causing Cupcake’s steadfast self-esteem to falter when she finds herself falling for him. As homecoming approaches, Cupcake discovers new depths in Rhys, faces her self-doubts, and is challenged to bravely claim her inner princess. In her latest YA romance, O’Gorman treads some familiar ground with her slightly overweight hero and the will-she-get-the-guy plot. On the other hand, Cupcake doesn’t have (or need) a makeover scene, and given a judgmental culture, her doubts have some merit. As a little girl comments, there are no fat Disney princesses. The romance is appealing, tying in well with Rhys’ character development, and amusing scenarios enhance the story. Rom-com fans will especially appreciate how the ending cleverly amasses genre tropes when Cupcake makes an over-the-top public proclamation of her feelings.
An entertaining teen romance that bakes in a story of self-discovery.Pub Date: Nov. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-64937-032-7
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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
A prototypical survival story: after an airplane crash, a 13-year-old city boy spends two months alone in the Canadian wilderness. In transit between his divorcing parents, Brian is the plane's only passenger. After casually showing him how to steer, the pilot has a heart attack and dies. In a breathtaking sequence, Brian maneuvers the plane for hours while he tries to think what to do, at last crashing as gently and levelly as he can manage into a lake. The plane sinks; all he has left is a hatchet, attached to his belt. His injuries prove painful but not fundamental. In time, he builds a shelter, experiments with berries, finds turtle eggs, starts a fire, makes a bow and arrow to catch fish and birds, and makes peace with the larger wildlife. He also battles despair and emerges more patient, prepared to learn from his mistakes—when a rogue moose attacks him and a fierce storm reminds him of his mortality, he's prepared to make repairs with philosophical persistence. His mixed feelings surprise him when the plane finally surfaces so that he can retrieve the survival pack; and then he's rescued. Plausible, taut, this is a spellbinding account. Paulsen's staccato, repetitive style conveys Brian's stress; his combination of third-person narrative with Brian's interior monologue pulls the reader into the story. Brian's angst over a terrible secret—he's seen his mother with another man—is undeveloped and doesn't contribute much, except as one item from his previous life that he sees in better perspective, as a result of his experience. High interest, not hard to read. A winner.
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1987
ISBN: 1416925082
Page Count: -
Publisher: Bradbury
Review Posted Online: Oct. 18, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1987
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