An endearing exploration of loss, love, and the transformative nature of art.
An art lover turns her ex-boyfriend’s breakup box into a collaborative exhibit about teen heartbreak.
Soon after Type A 16-year-old Chloe Chang and her parents abruptly move from New York City to Los Angeles to live with her Taiwanese grandmother, who’s struggling with dementia, Chloe’s boyfriend, Jake, an up-and-coming Black artist, breaks up with her via a mailed shoebox full of mementos. Devastated, the teen paper-planner influencer and aspiring curator finds inspiration from a classmate and fellow artist to create Heartifacts, an exhibit of breakup memorabilia collected from teens who’ve experienced heartbreak. At the exhibit’s opening night, Chloe meets a young Korean American filmmaker named Daniel, whose best friend’s breakup is featured in the show. Daniel—who knows Chloe’s grandmother via her family’s cafe—encourages Chloe to utilize his filmmaking skills to strengthen the exhibit and familiarize herself with L.A.’s art scene. As the two grow closer, Daniel insists they remain friends, because Chloe’s obviously not over her ex, and he doesn’t want to end up being a rebound guy for the sixth time. Equal parts romance and tribute to Los Angeles, this charming debut combines a strong sense of place and community with well-developed supporting characters, a lovely intergenerational family, and a just-kiss-already love story. The diverse adolescent ensemble includes strong queer representation.
An endearing exploration of loss, love, and the transformative nature of art. (Fiction. 13-18)Pub Date: Nov. 14, 2023
ISBN: 9781250865663
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
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
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
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