An absorbing love story.
Troubled rich boy Holden Parish and star quarterback River Whitmore are an unlikely pair, who find themselves longing to be together the more they push each other away.
Fresh out of treatment at a sanitarium in Switzerland and haunted by his traumatic past, Holden goes to stay with his aunt and uncle in California. He’ll spend his senior year at Santa Cruz Central High School. In an effort to distance himself from painful memories of the conversion therapy in Alaska that his parents forced on him—and that necessitated the year of recovery in Geneva—Holden drinks and spends profligately. River is the last person Holden expects to be closeted—and when the two are together, there are undeniable sparks. What starts with simple attraction builds to a secret romance and steamy encounters, ultimately forcing both white-presenting teens to face their own demons before they can build a meaningful, lasting relationship. River and Holden, who were secondary characters in the first book, take center stage in this second entry in the Lost Boys series. Though they have diverging stories of coming out as gay, some of their most tender and vulnerable moments involve their coping with similar feelings of loneliness and grief. Their life circumstances are extraordinary—Holden’s parents are billionaires, River is considered NFL material—but Scott highlights their humanity. This compelling story, which follows its leads beyond high school, will appeal to romance fans.
An absorbing love story. (playlist, content warning, author’s note with resources) (Romance. 16-adult)Pub Date: Jan. 20, 2026
ISBN: 9781464243370
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Bloom Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters.
When star hockey player Alec Barczewski’s estranged childhood friend, Dani Collins, moves to town, they end up in a mutually beneficial fake-dating relationship that reignites old feelings.
Following her parents’ divorce, Dani and her mom move in with Dani’s hockey legend grandfather in Southview, Minnesota, where she spent a month every summer as a child and where her friendship with Alec grew. Between visits, the two were pen pals, but they eventually fell out of touch. Despite some tensions over their loss of friendship, the high school seniors reconnect. Desperate to get off Harvard’s waitlist, Dani needs another extracurricular activity, while Alec—whose reputation took a hit when a photo of him holding a bong appeared on social media—is eager to improve his tarnished image for NHL scouts. The pair strike a deal: They’ll fake date, making Alec look like a stable guy whose academically gifted girlfriend is related to hockey royalty, and in exchange, he’ll get Dani a team manager position that will catch the eye of Harvard’s admissions officers. Eventually, complicated feelings about their past, stressful family relationships, and their brewing romance boil over. Romance fans will love the deliciously tension-filled scenes between Alec and Dani, who are believable friends with heavy demands weighing on them. They feel like real teenagers, and readers will enjoy rooting for them as the well-paced story unfolds. Main characters present white.
A compelling romance inhabited by complex and appealing characters. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
ISBN: 9781665921268
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
A promising premise that’s lacking in spice.
A fall romance with a New England backdrop.
Autumn leaves aren’t the only stunning thing to hit the town of Briar Glen—so has good-looking new boy Jack Harper, and Lucy Kane is enamored with both. Her new crush is the perfect thing to take her mind off the fact that Java Junction, part of a global chain, is opening across the street from Cup o’ Jo, Lucy’s mother’s coffee shop, where they take pride in baking everything from scratch and avoiding artificial ingredients. But there’s more than coincidence in the timing of the arrivals of both Jack and Java Junction: The Harper family moved to Briar Glen specifically to open this franchise location, which will bring competition that threatens Cup o’ Jo. This scenario has the makings of a perfect autumnal adversaries-to-lovers romance, but the writing lacks charm and chemistry. Jack seems to be completely enamored with Lucy, but her character isn’t sufficiently developed to warrant his attention. Lucy’s friends are continually supportive of her but have few distinguishing characteristics, and the story is weakened by confusing timelines and repetitive elements. The resolution relies upon successes that come too easily and do not feel earned. Major characters are cued white.
A promising premise that’s lacking in spice. (Romance. 12-16)Pub Date: Aug. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781339030753
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
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