(2) YA Bella deals with what feels like a million pressures: family, schoolwork, a breakup with a boyfriend who said she was "too much," and grief over the recent loss of her grandmother. Without a robust support system, Bella turns to alcohol to relieve the pressures and numb the pain; she had her first drink at eleven, and now, at fifteen, it's an addiction. She remains in denial about that addiction until it blows up in her face, landing her in a rehab program, where she must learn to confront and process her problems in a healthier way. Glasgow paints an empathetic portrait of a young woman struggling to cope with life, giving her ample depth and complexity. The first-person narrative offers a clear depiction of the character's subjective experiences of anxiety, depression, loss, and trauma as well as a nuanced exploration of the various factors that contribute to substance use disorders. Similarly, it recognizes the nonlinear nature of recovery and the contributors to relapse. Even as it acknowledges personal accountability and agency, it does not let the adults and peers who fail Bella off the hook. The story unflinchingly examines the darkness in life but ultimately brims with hope for intrapersonal change. An author's note connects the story to Glasgow's life; resources are also appended.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025

(2) 4-6 Having written several works of historical fiction with d/Deaf characters, LeZotte (Show Me a Sign, rev. 9/20, and sequels) now turns to a setting in which the issues that compromise the mental and physical well-being of d/Deaf children are contemporary and immediate. This first-person, present-tense verse novel accelerates suspensefully in a series of vignettes, events, and reflections. Effie lives with her older sister and alcoholic father, having been cast out of her mother and stepfather's house. None of her family has learned American Sign Language, the only language fully accessible for her; it's left to her school interpreter, Miss Kathy, to provide deep refreshment to Effie's love and communication-thirsty soul. In brief, spare entries, Effie conveys her fears and isolation, enjoys a new friendship with a classmate with cerebral palsy, and finally finds a way to tell Miss Kathy about her stepfather's sexual predation. Miss Kathy applies for custody, which is granted after a tense three-day hearing; Effie's father is found to be an unfit guardian because he refuses to learn ASL. (LeZotte reports in her author's note that she based her plot on a similar, historic case in the d/Deaf community, and that three out of four hearing parents do not learn to sign with their deaf children.) LeZotte packs a great deal into this very quick work, and while the complexity of anguish, isolation, language trauma, and sexual abuse Effie suffers could merit fuller expression, the story can pique interest and raise awareness of what it is like to grow up d/Deaf in a non-signing family, using ASL interpreters, or confronting false assumptions about disability.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2024

(2) YA The Minus-One Club has two rules: "1. Tell no one else about us. 2. We never talk about "[IT." "IT" is death, and the loss of a loved one is the only admission criterion for the secret club to which tenth grader Kermit suddenly finds himself invited after his older sister, Sheila, is killed in a car accident. The close-knit group also includes popular and openly gay Matt, whose mother died of cancer. Kermit, who is struggling with his Christian faith and with coming out, is attracted to Matt's easy confidence and thrilled when Matt returns his affections. But as the boys grow closer, Kermit begins to see that Matt's effortless aplomb is really just a facade covering up a self-destructive drinking problem. Soon Kermit must decide if never talking about Sheila's death, Matt's drinking, or his own sexuality is helping him cope or actually amplifying his loss. Readers will be drawn into the development of Kermit and Matt's tender first love, which is realistically halting, clumsy, and intimate. Short, dialogue-rich chapters interspersed with dream-sequence exchanges between Kermit and his bossy, loving late sister add levity and keep the pacing brisk. This evocative exploration of grief, sexual identity, and personal spirituality will be a boon to any teen grappling with these issues.

Reviewer: Jennifer Hubert Swan | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2023

(2) YA Stone's (Dear Martin, rev. 11/17) latest YA novel opens with a text-message exchange between two apparent strangers, one of whom has accidentally messaged the other during a night of heavy drinking. The third-person narration then alternates focus between the two of them. On her way home, Shelbi, the recipient of the mysterious message, passes a car accident and believes she sees her classmate Andy. The next chapter introduces readers to Andy as he sits in a police vehicle, having crashed his own car while driving drunk. Shelbi and Andy soon realize they were texting each other and begin hanging out. Once they become close friends, Shelbi, who has bipolar disorder, asks Andy to sign a friendship contract in order to protect herself from harmful behavior, which she has experienced in the past. But the complications aren't over, in part due to Andy's drinking. Readers will appreciate Stone's honest discussion of the critical issues of mental illness and substance abuse (a content warning also indicates self-harm). The book provides a starting point for thinking about how to set boundaries in friendships, as well as what it means to support a friend who is in need. Opening and closing notes from the author emphasize the importance of ending the stigma around mental illness.

Reviewer: Nicholl Denice Montgomery | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2023

(2) 4-6 Cohen reimagines Japan two decades after World War II, with a fantasy twist. All humans have a ryū, a dragon companion, a whiskery creature born of rain and mist and small enough to fit in the palm of a hand. Kohei loves his smart, linguistically gifted Yuharu, but he also has a seemingly impossible memory of big dragons, the kind he thinks his grandfather, Ojiisan, once watched with joy. Now Ojiisan is bitter and given to drunken rages, and Kohei's widowed mother can only say, hollowly, "It's okay." Kohei teams up with his Japanese Jewish American friend Isolde (whose ryū speaks Yiddish) to find a big dragon that might heal Ojiisan's anger. The two travel deep into the sea to the palace of dragons, where Kohei gains new understanding of his family's--and his nation's--past. Cohen interweaves Japanese dragon imagery, history, and post-war culture in a story that muses on the legacies of emotion and family experiences in shaping identity after war. She blends her fantastical imagery with historical fact and realism, ­bringing readers commentary and questions on cultural identity, racism, friendship, and political activism.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2022

(2) YA The morning after attending a fair run by (fictional) Faber College's fraternities, fifteen-year-old Nora wakes up on the golf course without any memory of how she got there. Her best friend, Camille, is by her side and explains that the night before, three guys removed Nora's underwear and hung it from a flagstick at the course before their classmate, Adam, chased them away. As Nora grapples with the implications of what ­happened--and what could have happened if Adam hadn't intervened--Cam and Adam decide to find out who the guys were. Their investigation leads to unsavory revelations about one of Faber's fraternities and about the college's charismatic, beloved athletic director--who is also Nora's dad. The victim-shaming that follows is depressing but familiar; the novel unflinchingly exposes the sexism inherent in excusing men's assaultive behavior while blaming women because of how they're dressed or how much they drank. More subtle but equally devastating is the fall from grace of Nora's father, "her favorite person in the world"; his refusal to accept responsibility adds a layer of trauma and makes it more difficult for Nora to speak out. Her eventual decision to formally accuse her attackers is a powerful one as she courageously reclaims her voice and her story: it's a small, satisfying step toward justice.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022

(2) YA In this stark and searing sort-of love story, two Pakistani American teens living in a California desert town struggle to choose connection over isolation when family crises strike. Salahudin--artsy, aimless, and anxious--feels the weight of the pressures posed by his sick mother, his alcoholic father, and the crumbling motel they own, which barely pays the bills. His ambitious and science-minded estranged childhood friend, Noor, needs a hefty scholarship to escape the domineering uncle with whom she lives, but gets rejections instead. Through chapters that alternate between their first-person perspectives, Sal and Noor tell intertwining stories of their urgent attempts to steer their own lives without support from family or their majority-white community. Sal's mother--whose potent flashbacks of her immigration when she was young are interspersed throughout--is a reliable model of faith and optimism for both teens; her sudden death at first draws Sal and Noor closer, but grief and guilt soon lead Sal to a cascade of risky, tension-raising decisions that threaten their futures. While some descriptive language, especially dreamy Sal's, borders on melodramatic, the tight focus on each teen's emotional experience reveals a rich layering of determination, trauma, anger, and integrity underneath their raw reactions. This is a brutal depiction of the toll taken on some young marginalized and working-class people trying to conquer the odds; watching Sal's and Noor's devastating loneliness finally give way to glimmers of hope is both satisfying and affecting.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022

(2) 4-6 After his first attempt at winning his neighborhood's annual spades tournament ended in disqualification, Anthony Joplin felt as small as his nickname--Ant. Born into a long line of card sharks, Ant aims to prove to his father that he has what it takes to win. But the game requires a trustworthy partner, and Ant has conflicting feelings about both his best friend (who was recently suspended from school and probably can't play anyway) and the new kid in his fifth-grade class (a girl--not that he thinks there's anything wrong with that). His trust is also waning in his father, who has been acting strangely lately, especially when it comes to betting and drinking. As family secrets come to light, the stakes are raised for Ant, and he makes some hard decisions that he feels will help him win the tournament--and his family back. The story and its characters are compelling, as is the omniscient narrator, who becomes increasingly involved in the tale. Themes of addiction and consent are addressed honestly and compassionately, and more than enough tips are given to spark the interest of "youngbloods" in the game of spades.

Reviewer: Eboni Njoku | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2022

(2) YA Thirteen-year-old Eli and her big sister Anna, seventeen, are used to fending for themselves and covering up their mother's excessive drinking; they've been doing it for years. However, things come to a head when Mom is charged with a DUI and is sent to rehab for ninety days. The girls temporarily evade social services by having Anna impersonate their aunt Lisa, but after learning that Mom lost her job, and without a paycheck forthcoming, they have to reach out to estranged or unknown family members (the girls have different fathers). Armed with Mom's old address book, they set off on a road trip and wind up having to face some unsettling truths about themselves and their decision-making, in a complicated and often unfair world. Eli, who identifies as gay, is bright, funny, and resilient, always willing to forgive her mom's erratic behavior. Anna is more prickly and angry than Eli, but largely out of guilt at not being able to protect her sister. The book's tone is sharp and insightful but never judgmental, and the characters' voices are distinctive and realistic. Moon offers up powerful and positive life lessons wrapped in an engaging, tender, and satisfying story.

Reviewer: Luann Toth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2021

(2) YA Bossy know-it-all perfectionist Meabh and underachieving social outcast Aideen are enemies at their Irish high school (think Derry Girls, but co-ed and with more than one wee lesbian). But when Aideen comes across the overwhelmed Meabh having a meltdown, they hatch an outlandish scheme to get Meabh out of some of her many scheduled activities: Aideen will push Meabh down some stairs, injuring Meabh's ankle; she will thus be excused from yoga, team sports, gym class, etc., while still being able to practice cello, do homework, and, most important, run for student council president. The pushing-down-the-stairs scheme actually works, but it's witnessed by odd-duck though super-sweet classmate Kavi, who then begins bringing Aideen "clients" so she can solve their problems, too. As Aideen's services become more and more sought after, escapades ensue, and her life gets very entangled--but, also, her social orbit begins to expand as "clients" turn into a network of friends, and she and Meabh start to fall for each other. Meanwhile, Aideen's heretofore sole friend, Holly, manipulative and vindictive, decides to run against Meabh in the school election--forcing Aideen to make some hard choices. Aideen's first-person narration is sometimes hilarious, tart, and sarcastic; sometimes heart-tuggingly poignant (especially when she's trying to suss out if her single-parent mam is drinking again; or when finally allowing herself to realize what a false friend Holly is); always compulsively readable.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2021

(1) YA Anderson's three-part autobiographical collection of dynamic, mostly free-verse poems serves as a potent postlude for Speak. The first third takes us from Anderson's difficult childhood to Speak's publication. Next is a series of impassioned poems about sexual assault, censorship, consent, etc. She concludes with a quiet set of reflective family poems. By turns angry, commanding, raw, and wistful, this is a praise song to survivors and a blistering rebuke to predators. Reading list.

Reviewer: Jennifer Hubert Swan | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2019

(1) 4-6 After the "dog of [her] heart," dies, fourteen-year-old Beverly catches a ride with her loser cousin to Tamaray Beach, where she finds a job busing tables and a place to stay in return for driving elderly Iola Jenkins to bingo. Drawn with unusual depth, the members of Beverly's small community emerge as complex individuals but also, collectively, as a force for change and goodwill in this companion to Raymie Nightingale and Louisiana's Way Home.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2019

(2) YA Sixteen-year-old Pup Flanagan struggles with schoolwork and feels haunted by what his sprawling, high-achieving Chicago family won't speak of: one brother who died of meningitis and another whose drinking is spiraling out of control. When Pup takes up photography to boost his art-class grade, photos of his family's unguarded moments propel him to a statewide competition. Endearingly vulnerable Pup is easy to root for in this affirming, delicately told coming-of-age story.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2019

(3) 4-6 In Jakarta, Indonesia, Nia's food-vendor widower father is mired in poverty and alcoholism while the young teenager cares for her little brother. When Nia survives a minibus accident, superstitious locals believe that she has miraculous powers, which aspiring-writer Nia uses to raise money for her schooling. Readers will cheer Nia's real powers--her storytelling talent and her resiliency--in this vividly set story. Glos.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(2) YA Sophomore Wyatt Parker plays football, but only to forge a closer relationship with his older brother Brett, Grayport High's star quarterback. Their father is an alcoholic who lives vicariously through Brett and ignores Wyatt. With red tide threatening the fishing industry--the bedrock of their Massachusetts town's economy--football gives people some hope. In Kester's debut novel, the characters, the town, and the culture of high-school football are richly developed, with keen insight and pithy prose.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2019

(3) YA Harley is tired of her boyfriend Mike's drinking; her frustration boils over when she finds Mike hooking up with her younger sister at a party. She storms out instead of getting them home safely--and her sister winds up in a coma after Mike drives drunk. In narration that alternates between past and present, and with deft and sensitive characterizations, the novel largely steers clear of melodrama.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) YA Sixteen-year-old Marcelle receives a text from her friend Hannah asking Marcelle to cover for her--and then Hannah disappears. Was her disappearance drug-related? Were her shady friends involved? Marcelle asks these questions while struggling with alcohol dependency and attending vicious support group meetings designed for "bullying each other into sobriety." A gritty, tense novel about addiction and its consequences.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(2) 4-6 In 1985 Tennessee, Lyndie and her parents move in with her grandparents after her alcoholic, Vietnam War–vet father loses his job and her mother develops recurring headaches. But Lyndie's grandmother has a firm idea of what a "nice Southern family" should look like and vehemently tries to force Lyndie into that mold. The well-developed characters in this moving, fast-paced story contain a realistic mix of charm and flaws, which makes their progress and setbacks feel especially affecting.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2019

(2) YA After her family is evicted (again), thirteen-year-old Genesis has to worry about a new home and school, as well as the unraveling of her family from past secrets. Teased for her dark skin and kinky hair, Genesis feels invisible, unloved, and un-pretty; her journey teaches her that beauty really is only skin deep. Williams's debut also addresses the consequences of addiction and the instability that goes along with it.

Reviewer: Monique Harris | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2019

(3) YA During sophomore year, Dia, Hanna, and Jules were best friends and bandmates, yet alcoholism, pregnancy, and a death caused the trio's friendship to fall apart. After graduation, the girls piece back together their friendship to compete in a band talent contest. Chapters alternate among the girls' points of view, showing how each comes into her own in this heart-filled new-adult novel about the value of friendship.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam