A sweet and highly earnest transgender love story.
In their last year of high school, trans boys Oliver and Aaron are separated when Aaron’s family moves, but they keep their relationship alive through texting and letters.
Oliver, who is White and Jewish, is fascinated by American history, particularly wondering about the stories of non-White, non-Christian, noncisgender men. Aaron, an artist, is Puerto Rican and one of the only brown faces in their high school. They have grown up together, discovered their genders together, and soon they will graduate together. Oliver discovers a story about two trans male soldiers who were in love during the Revolutionary War, and the boys decide to take on their names. But when Aaron’s cisgender older brother discloses abuse at the hands of the priest of their church, the family decides to leave Kutztown, Pennsylvania, for Queens, New York. The move is hard on the boys’ relationship, but at the same time, it may open a new world for Aaron. The book is a quick read, written in breathless verse. There is no strong central plot but rather a series of reflections on history, relationships, and gender loosely structured around Oliver and Aaron’s correspondence and the ultimate question of whether they will still want to be together when they meet again at the end of the school year.
A sweet and highly earnest transgender love story. (author's note, websites, further reading) (Verse novel. 14-18)Pub Date: March 22, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-374-38841-6
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2022
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
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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