An accessible story for reluctant readers about balancing stress with self-discovery.
A high-achieving high school golfer discovers unexpected artistic talents while navigating parental pressure and anger management issues.
Dex excels at everything—sports, academics, and meeting his successful parents’ sky-high expectations. His mother is a COO, his father a former college athlete turned real estate broker who preaches “Play / the long game. // Plan / for the future.” When Dex’s volatile temper costs him a spot on the varsity golf team, he’s given a monthlong suspension from sports. During this exile, he finds refuge in the art room where his classmate and love interest, Hazel (who’s facing her own family issues), introduces him to painting. Their collaborative artwork becomes both a creative outlet and a path to emotional regulation for Dex, while offering Hazel the hope of winning much-needed prize money to cover the tuition at their private school. Aro’s verse novel employs sparse, straightforward language that efficiently conveys Dex’s internal struggles without unnecessary flourishes. The golf glossary—presented at the beginning of the book—proves helpful for readers unfamiliar with the sport’s terminology. The story refreshingly portrays a male athlete exploring artistic expression, although the pretty cover design may not appeal to the very readers who would benefit most from Dex’s journey. The story wraps up with conflicts being neatly and easily resolved, but the core message about finding healthy outlets for intense emotions resonates. Dex and Hazel present white.
An accessible story for reluctant readers about balancing stress with self-discovery. (Verse fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2025
ISBN: 9781978598072
Page Count: 200
Publisher: West 44 Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 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
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
BOOK REVIEW
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