A gripping and exciting sequel.
A backpacking trip goes awry, turning into a fight for survival when a girl’s past comes to call.
After surviving a chaotic bank robbery attempt along with her girlfriend, Iris, and ex-boyfriend/best friend, Wes, Nora O’Malley has graduated high school. Now she’s setting out on a backpacking trip with Iris and Wes, who’s bringing along his new girlfriend, Amanda, and his dog. At the forefront of Nora’s mind is her evil criminal stepdad Raymond’s release from prison and what that means for her—she knows it’s nothing good because she’s in possession of a thumb drive with damning information about him. When Nora lends her flannel shirt to Amanda, it leads to a case of mistaken identity. Amanda is kidnapped in the night by Raymond’s men, and when the group realizes what’s happened, they must fight to get her back and try to stay alive, even as Raymond’s henchmen hunt them down. This follow-up to 2021’s The Girls I’ve Been unfolds in nonlinear chapters that alternate between the present day and the time before Nora escaped her life with her mother and Raymond. Occasional sections present Iris’ point of view. The earlier series entry must be fresh in readers’ minds in order to follow this one, which features Sharpe’s signature gritty, fast-paced writing. Beloved characters from the first installment are further developed in an incredibly satisfying way before the explosive ending. Main characters are cued white.
A gripping and exciting sequel. (Thriller. 14-18)Pub Date: May 14, 2024
ISBN: 9780316574914
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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
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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