Brace for impact readers, this YA thriller holds little back.
A group of teens gets trapped in the woods during a snowstorm in Ross’ YA thriller.
Sam is a senior at Seaside High. She and her brother Stuart, a sophomore, are driving with their friends in the Sierra Nevada mountain range of Northern California. They’re headed toward a cabin owned by the family of Gavin, Stuart’s best friend, for a ski weekend. Also in the SUV are Lily, Stuart’s girlfriend; Britney, Seaside’s most popular cheerleader; Hunter, an irrepressible flirt; and Champion the dog. When a snowstorm closes the main road, Hunter suggests a detour. Unfortunately, their vehicle swerves on black ice and lodges in a snow bank. With no cell service, the teens pray that a search party will find them before they run out of food and gas (to heat the truck). Complicating matters is the concussion Lily suffered in the crash. After a night’s sleep, she slips into a coma. In the cramped, stressful environment, the teens’ true selves emerge. Ross offers YA readers genuinely diverse characters, each of whom continues to grow throughout the narrative. Lily is Chinese, Hunter is African American, Britney is a devoted Christian, and Sam is vegetarian. Pop culture mavens will enjoy Stuart’s obsession with what might be lurking outside, like zombies, werewolves, or even ax murderers. As the teens learn, however, “The wilderness has transformed from a non-sentient place into...a stalking predator that lives and breathes and kills.” Before real tragedy strikes, the cast shares in-depth discussions on Black cowboys, fur farming, the value of religion, and much more. Ross is also unafraid to lean into controversial stereotypes—as when Lily says, “I’m not above eating dog”—only to later dismantle them. Sam and Gavin’s romantic backstory, elaborated in flashbacks, adds further emotional urgency to events. The dark finale allows just enough room for a sequel.
Brace for impact readers, this YA thriller holds little back.Pub Date: Oct. 26, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-68-463109-4
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Spark Press
Review Posted Online: June 14, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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