Despite being emotionally intense and morally vacuous, there is still a soft-focus lens in this recounting of events in the spring of Lulu’s senior year. In a small Kentucky town, Lulu and Ginny are best friends and regularly make the run via Dead Man’s curve to nearby Huntsville to illegally buy the booze that along with their stash gets them through their days. Lulu’s mother died when she was young and so did Ginny’s brother, creating a bond between them despite their vastly different looks and preferences for poison. Ginny drinks while Lulu prefers smoking, but the petite, dark looks of Lulu and the tall, blonde gorgeousness of Ginny both spell trouble. Lulu’s constant use of the camera to capture pieces of her life balances with her otherwise almost total lack of control. Life is made more complicated as Ginny’s flair for melodrama involves her with a nearby college boy as well as the high-school football star. When brother Danny’s old pal Jay resurfaces to rejoin his band, Lulu is drawn to Jay—his music, motorcycle, and memories of the past. Wanting to show she is no longer a child, leads Lulu into a sexual relationship with Jay. A spot of blood appears but little pain in this poetically romantic portrayal of the loss of virginity. Drink, drugs, and sex seem to be taken for granted throughout. Being “careful” is referred to afterwards, but is not shown. A bland, loving grandmother and stock characters from high school are background for the hot and heavy romance that serves as the main thread. Astute readers will expect consequences, but surprisingly, it is Ginny’s fate with its impact on Lulu that’s at the center of the plot. Henson has a way with thoughts and dialogue that rings true, conveying that longing for experience and adulthood that is so effectively portrayed here. With all the bad behavior, it’s clear these are innocents at play. (Fiction. YA)
Pub Date: May 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-06-029796-4
Page Count: 240
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2002
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
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
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