A sweet (and furry) queer sports romance with off-the-charts chemistry.
An animal rivals-to-lovers romance based on a popular WEBTOON series.
After an accident takes out another entrant in a competition in which ice skating meets martial arts, Emile Fia, a small, light-brown deer with tiny antlers and enormous ears, is shocked to find he’s up against Radu Basanko, a statuesque, dark-brown fruit bat who’s currently the world’s top-ranked skater—and a charmer at that. Their size difference could be dangerous, but Emile handles the battle well, until he cuts his hand on his blade and Radu suddenly starts behaving erratically. And just like that, Emile learns Radu’s biggest secret. Their relationship enters new territory after Radu apologizes, swears he wouldn’t hurt Emile, and begs Emile to keep quiet about his hidden identity. If Emile’s nightmares are anything to go by, this is a difficult favor, but it’s one he promised to keep. Over time, though, even his scariest nightmares begin to shift into dreams that are steamier in tone, albeit with Radu still starring in them. Now that he’s in on the secret, Emile starts to learn about a new world—and possibly even get tangled up in it. With stylish outfits, expressive characterization, and engaging banter, this series opener incorporates animal behaviors and quirks into its anthropomorphized characters. Emile is unintentionally funny, Radu is flirty, and their appealing friends of various species round out the cast.
A sweet (and furry) queer sports romance with off-the-charts chemistry. (bonus comic) (Graphic romance. 12-18)Pub Date: May 13, 2025
ISBN: 9780316459839
Page Count: 512
Publisher: Little, Brown Ink
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
A winning game of feelingsball.
A former football star, who never thought she’d play again after she came out as transgender, steps back onto the field for one last season to help her team win state.
Grace Woodhouse used to know where she belonged. She had Division I schools lined up to recruit her, but that was before what happened during playoffs last year, before she came out as trans, and before she quit the team. Although her single father and new friend group support her, Grace feels lost as her senior year begins. When one of her old teammates asks her to help him with his technique, she quickly realizes that he and the other captains are hoping for more than her expertise from the sidelines—they want her to rejoin the team. Grace can’t resist the opportunity to play again, but her return draws unwanted national attention that makes her question her future and who she wants to be. Flashback chapters written in the second-person present tense bring Grace’s past to life, which helps maintain momentum and makes her emotional journey feel more immersive. A heartfelt, goofy, and diverse cast of secondary characters surround Grace, who’s white, as she navigates self-doubt, friendship, complicated feelings for her ex-girlfriend, and what she wants to do after graduation. Overall, this coming-of-age sports narrative is honest, gentle, and hopeful.
A winning game of feelingsball. (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 13, 2025
ISBN: 9781646145027
Page Count: 344
Publisher: Levine Querido
Review Posted Online: March 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025
PERSPECTIVES
Delightful.
A sweet second-chance romance set against the backdrop of the Korean entertainment industry.
Eighteen-year-old Min Sori’s life is a far cry from that of the average girl her age. To start with, there are her parents: Her father is a politician with presidential aspirations, and her mother is CEO of Joah, the major record label who signed XOXO, the hottest boy group of the hour. Sori’s relationship with her ambitious, absentee parents isn’t the closest—in fact, it’s strained at best. Sori has her own career as a rising model and Joah trainee, although she’s lost her passion for music and doesn’t really want to be an idol anymore. She just needs to find the courage to tell her mom that. But Sori is exhausted, thanks to her stressful family situation and feelings for ex-boyfriend Nathaniel Lee, XOXO’s Korean American lead vocalist and dancer, who’s extremely off-limits. It doesn’t help that their chemistry is still sizzling or that his family feels more comforting to her than her own. When push comes to shove, she may have to confront her feelings all at once—for Nathaniel, her parents, and her future. This charming companion to XOXO (2021) features lived-in characters and a swoony love story. Romanized Korean is smoothly incorporated throughout the book, and the South Korean setting is richly developed.
Delightful. (Romance. 13-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9780063299306
Page Count: 352
Publisher: HarperTeen
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2023
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