A delightfully lively rom-com.
Southern California high school junior Sharlot Citra had everything planned out for her first time.
What she did not plan for was her mom walking in on her and her boyfriend. Meanwhile in Jakarta, George Clooney Tanuwijaya, son of the country’s second richest family, is caught by his father in a similarly racy solo situation. George’s dad and sister decide he needs a girlfriend and set up an online profile for him. The perfect match comes in the form of one Sharlot Citra—or at least Sharlot’s mom, who’s likewise committing a catfishing scheme to set up her daughter with a respectable boy. Mama has whisked Sharlot off for her first trip to Indonesia to spend the summer learning how to jadi orang, or succeed as an adult. Horrified but resigned, the teens reluctantly meet, and an awkward coffee date spirals into a fake relationship for the press; George is the public face of an etiquette app for teen boys that his family’s company is launching. Can a less-than-honest beginning lead to genuine connection? Sutanto’s novel is full of hijinks, humor, and heart. Beyond the fake online personas are two teens with lots to connect over. Sutanto gives dimension to the secondary characters, exploring interpersonal expectations and misperceptions. Readers are swept along as Sharlot discovers her mother’s home country, including naming quirks, dynamite coffee, layered history, and a conservative social climate. Most characters are Chinese Indonesian; biracial Sharlot is White and Chinese Indonesian.
A delightfully lively rom-com. (Romance. 14-18)Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-43397-3
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: June 7, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2022
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
PERSPECTIVES
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes.
The Plague has left a population divided between Elites and Ordinaries—those who have powers and those who don’t; now, an Ordinary teen fights for her life.
Paedyn Gray witnessed the king kill her father five years ago, and she’s been thieving and sleeping rough ever since, all while faking Psychic abilities. When she inadvertently saves the life of Prince Kai, she becomes embroiled in the Purging Trials, a competition to commemorate the sickness that killed most of the kingdom’s Ordinaries. Kai’s duties as the future Enforcer include eradicating any remaining Ordinaries, and these Trials are his chance to prove that he’s internalized his brutal training. But Kai can’t help but find Pae’s blue eyes, silver hair, and unabashed attitude enchanting. She likewise struggles to resist his stormy gray eyes, dark hair, and rakish behavior, even as they’re pitted against each other in the Trials and by the king himself. Scenes and concepts that are strongly reminiscent of the Hunger Games fall flat: They aren’t bolstered by the original’s heart or worldbuilding logic that would have justified a few extreme story elements. Illogical leaps and inconsistent characterizations abound, with lighthearted romantic interludes juxtaposed against genocide, child abuse, and sadism. These elements, which are not sufficiently addressed, combined with the use of ableist language, cannot be erased by any amount of romantic banter. Main characters are cued white; the supporting cast has some brown-skinned characters.
A lackluster and sometimes disturbing mishmash of overused tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 14-18)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9798987380406
Page Count: 538
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
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
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