Seventeen-year-old Charlie Davis, a white girl living on the margins, thinks she has little reason to live: her father drowned himself her bereft and abusive mother kicked her out her best friend, Ellis, is nearly brain dead after cutting too deeply and she's gone through unspeakable experiences living on the street. There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.Īfter surviving a suicide attempt, a fragile teen isn't sure she can endure without cutting herself. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than 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 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.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.Īutumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart their mothers are still best friends. Urban-fiction readers will enjoy this, but it will also appeal to any teen reader seeking a romantic read with lots of fun. The use of social media anchors the story in today’s culture, while the banter between Omar and Claudia is clever and sounds just right for two smart, college-bound teens. Told in alternating chapters by each of the main characters, this lively romance has humor and heart. Through working together, Omar develops genuine feelings for Claudia, and she finds herself drawn to him. Omar uses his considerable charisma and stories from his activist uncle to lead a successful protest and bring the impending cuts much-needed attention. Socially conscious, Claudia is more interested in protesting budget cuts that will wipe out the arts, the library and other school activities-excluding sports-than in Omar. The fact that he has moved to Charleston, S.C., from Brooklyn adds to his aura, and he attracts the attention of every desirable girl at school-except for Claudia Clarke, who calls him “immature, shallow fraud.” Omar never runs away from a challenge, and he bets his friends that Claudia will become his next conquest. Omar “T-Diddy” Smalls has the swagger that comes with his exalted status. A star high school quarterback bets he can get the attention of a girl who claims not to be interested by leading a protest for a cause she champions.
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