A realistically flawed character worth rooting for in a story worth reading.
Influencer Ellie searches for her real self amid a livestreamed proposal, her father’s declining health, and her disordered eating habits.
In this sequel to Suck It in and Smile (2022) translated from French and set in Quebec, 25-year-old Ellie seems headed for peak influencer success with her account, Quinoa Forever. She’s about to release a book, is engaged to her musician boyfriend, and her collaboration with fellow influencer Mila is getting them both thousands of views. Just like that, when she’s at the top of the world, Ellie begins to unravel. Her father’s cancer forces her to face her childhood and how it affected her relationship with food and her body. Her desperation for perfection pushes her toward inauthenticity online. Her relationship with her fiance suffers a blow. Beaudoin-Masse skillfully makes readers a part of Ellie’s inner world and online life. Some chapters include tidbits about influencers and celebrities interspersed with YouTube rankings, text messages, Instagram comments, and snippets of Ellie’s social media feed. Other chapters read like small essays, powerful as almost stand-alone pieces that are insightful and effective glimpses into Ellie’s life. Ellie’s friendship with Opale, her sister’s girlfriend, builds slowly, believably, and beautifully. Though Ellie’s life is aspirational in many respects, her struggles, fears, trauma, and resilience are familiar. The cast reads white.
A realistically flawed character worth rooting for in a story worth reading. (Fiction. 16-adult)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781773069685
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Groundwood
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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
Raw, delicate, and deeply caring.
When Death-Cast doesn’t call, fate intertwines the lives of two boys, both haunted by their pasts and with futures they can’t escape.
In this third installment of the series that opened with 2017’s They Both Die at the End, Paz Dario waits every night for Death-Cast to call—as it should have for his father nearly 10 years ago, when Paz shot him to save his mother’s life. But the call never comes. Death-Cast killed Paz’s dreams of an acting career: No one will hire him now because the world sees him as a villain. When Paz tries (not for the first time) to put an end to his suffering, an unexpected encounter with Alano Rosa, the heir of Death-Cast, stops him. Both in a place of desperation, Alano and Paz sign a contract to live for Begin Days instead of waiting for their End Days. As suspenseful and emotionally wrenching as the previous titles in the series, this new installment explores heavy themes of abuse, mental health, self-harm, and suicide. Paz grapples with a recent diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. Silvera surrounds Alano and Paz with a web of complex relationships. Although the protagonists fall fast for one another and form a deep connection over Alano’s desire to support Paz, Silvera emphasizes the importance of professional help. Both Alano and Paz have Puerto Rican heritage. The cliffhanger ending promises more to come.
Raw, delicate, and deeply caring. (content warning, resources) (Speculative fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780063240858
Page Count: 720
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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