Heartfelt.
Pearl Wong decides to spend her summer in Taiwan after a social media mishap causes her to lose her seat at a prestigious orchestra program in this stand-alone companion to Loveboat, Taipei (2020) and Loveboat Reunion (2022).
Seventeen-year-old Pearl reasons that enrolling in Chien Tan, the Chinese language and culture program unofficially known to participants as “Loveboat,” would help her keep a low profile while also exploring new interests. Loveboat was a transformative experience for Ever, Pearl’s older sister, and Pearl, whose life is devoted to her budding career as a pianist, wants the same for herself. At the Taipei campus, she meets Ethan Kang, a violinist who shares Pearl’s love of Western classical music. Their flirty jam sessions quickly turn into something steamier, but a heart-pounding encounter at a masquerade party leaves Pearl curious about the masked stranger she kissed. Pearl also develops an interest in the pipa, a traditional Chinese lute that her great-grandmother played professionally, and begins spending time with Kai Ai, a talented pipa player whose prickly demeanor hides unexpected thoughtfulness. With help from those around her—including new Loveboat friends Hollis, who is nonbinary, and their twin, Iris, as well as Loveboat alumna and self-designated aunty Sophie Ha—Pearl tries to sort through tangled romantic feelings while reconsidering her identity as a Chinese American musician. Pearl’s earnestness shines through her narration, taking readers with her on an eye-opening summer of self-examination and finding her roots.
Heartfelt. (Romance. 13-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9780063297999
Page Count: 400
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
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
SEEN & HEARD
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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