An intricately plotted whodunit that maintains suspense to the end.
A young woman lands in a Gothic mansion in a small seaside town in Northern California and rapidly becomes mired in its mysterious history.
After her mother dies, nearly-18-year-old Cecelia Ellis moves in with the grandmother she hardly knows. Maura Weston is nothing short of a celebrity, a rich, bestselling author of mysteries—the first and most famous of which was inspired by the 1970 murder of her own friend Caroline Quinn, a homecoming queen. Immediately taken in by a friendly but complicated group at Seaview High, Cecelia’s grief over her mother’s death is largely subsumed by her interest in Caroline’s murder and then by another present-day mystery that unfolds. A large cast of supporting characters, including Ben and Gabriel, two different guys who both interest Cecelia, all seem to be hiding something. Readers will be kept guessing about who she can trust, and the thriller sustains its central tension as one person after another is suspected of misdoings. That Cecelia so rapidly becomes immersed in this insular town following her mom’s death and her move from Los Angeles requires some suspension of disbelief, but her clever wit blended with flashes of vulnerability makes for an easily sympathetic narrator. Cecelia reads as White, and she remarks early on about the racial homogeneity of Seaview; Gabriel and his sister, who befriends Cecelia, are Filipinx. There are queer supporting characters.
An intricately plotted whodunit that maintains suspense to the end. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-47982-7
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2022
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
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
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