Publishers Weekly Review
| "I don't want to disappoint anyone in search of a happy ending... this isn't that kind of story," narrator Stella warns at the opening of this novel by Yu (Four Weeks, Five People). After enduring a rough sophomore year that culminated with a mental breakdown, Stella is unmotivated to begin her junior year. Then she becomes smitten with Kevin, a brilliant student in her philosophy class, who, much to Stella's surprise, returns her affection. Kevin is passionate, intense, and like no boy Stella has known. Soon, being with him becomes more important than seeing her friends and doing homework, despite Kevin's increasing bouts of anger and possessiveness. Stella finds herself sacrificing important things for the sake of keeping him happy. If Yu's jumbling of chronology makes the ending anticlimactic (scenes of the relationship's disastrous final stages are juxtaposed against happier early days), it also drives home a point about the pitfalls of falling in love hard and fast. Stella's desire, angst, and yearning to cling to an unhealthy relationship are convincingly and empathically conveyed, and readers with a hearty appetite for romance and drama will eagerly join Stella on her tumultuous journey. Ages 12-up. Agent: Laura Dail, Laura Dail Agency. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. |
School Library Journal Review
| Gr 9 Up-Trying to deal with her depression, pretending to ignore her parents constant fighting, and feeling disdain for her classmates, Stella doesn't believe things are looking too positive for her junior year. However, after being forced to go to a party with her two best friends, she meets Kevin. Readers are told from the start that their relationship will not have a happy ending. A glimmer of hope remains until teens begin to learn about their relationship, realizing that there's no way this will end well. Yu's high school romance is filled with the extreme emotions of first love, strained friendships, marital strife, and mental health issues. The narrative doesn't follow a linear time line but jumps around, giving glimpses to the end of their relationship when things fall apart and back to the beginning when all was wonderful. This device is skillfully implemented and will keep readers wondering how things began to collapse. Though this story is focused on a romantic relationship, its true message is about the strength of friendship. VERDICT Even without a romantic happily ever after, readers will still be pleased with the conclusion. A strong choice for YA shelves.-Jessica Perovich, US Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit Library © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. |
Booklist Review
| In this prequel to Yu's debut novel Four Weeks, Five People (2017) Stella, a junior who suffers from depression, seems over the meltdown she experienced the year before. Happier than she'd been, she's content to hang out with best friends Katie (who's into athletes) and Lin (who's consumed by her need to get into Brown next year). Enter Kevin, a philosophy student who becomes Stella's first boyfriend. Their relationship takes Stella on an emotional roller-coaster, and though their fights become more frequent and intense, she ignores her therapist, friends, grades, and parents. Stella's honest and self-critical nonlinear narration includes asides that keep the story interesting through plot teases. Without concentrating on her therapy though a family session plays an important role the story focuses on Stella and first love that ends badly. Readers looking for therapeutic enlightenment may not find it here unless they see themselves in Stella's place and understand that help is available. Fans of Jennifer Niven's All the Bright Places (2015) and Robyn Schneider's Extraordinary Means (2015) will want to read this.--Jeanne Fredriksen Copyright 2018 Booklist |
Kirkus Review
| Two teens struggling with mental illness fall in love, and it doesn't end well.Every day is a challenge for Stella Canavaslikely the same Stella from Yu's debut novel, Four Weeks, Five People (2017)who lives with depression. Her resolutions for junior year include hanging out with her best friends, escaping her parents' arguments, listening to her therapist, and accepting people more. On the first day of classes, Stella is captivated by senior Kevin Miller, who is passionate about philosophy, longs to attend Columbia University, and also lives with depression. Stella feels as though she's found someone who understands her, and after some serious discussion, they begin dating. Everything seems so perfect, but perfect often turns to tears and recriminations in an instant. As their relationship progresses, Stella's grades slip, she distances herself from her friends, and she skips therapy sessions. The smallest disagreements between Stella and Kevin escalate to shouting matches that leave Stella feeling too exhausted and broken to pick up the pieces. Stella recounts their relationship in a nonlinear style, beginning her story with the end (their last fight) and scattering memories throughout. Yu genuinely portrays how the initial magic of a new relationship can spiral into something toxic and have a profound impact on one's mental health. Characters are assumed white except for Stella's friend Lin, who is Chinese-American.A poignant reminder that love is not always enough. (Fiction. 14-18) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission. |
