Iranian on his mother’s side and white American on his father’s side, Darius never quite fits in.

When Darius’ grandfather becomes terminally ill, Darius, along with his parents and younger sister, travels to Iran for the first time in his life. There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.ĭarius Kellner suffers from depression, bullying by high school jocks, and a father who seems to always be disappointed in him. 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. Annie and Caitlin are White, Luna is Latinx, and there is diversity in other secondary characters.Ī mostly believable, thought-provoking journey. Still, as it plausibly depicts the all-too-common hold that social media has on teens’ lives, Annie’s aching first-person narrative will strike a chord with many readers. A feel-good ending wraps up all the unhappy threads, perhaps diminishing the impact. All three girls are dealing with hard issues that they describe in journal entries: Caitlin wants to become a kicker for the football team, and Luna is trying to become the new editor of the school newspaper.

But ChitChat has a hold on Annie, and she cheats behind her friends’ backs, all the while wracked with guilt. With ample spare time, Annie begins volunteering at the local animal shelter, where she cares for a needy dog and develops an interest in a kind boy who works there. A few others, including the gay quarterback of their high-powered football team, decide to join them. Luna and Caitlin, her BFFs, vow with her to give up social media for a month, but since they’re all but addicted, it’s a real challenge.

Annie’s boyfriend very publicly dumps her on a social media platform.Īfter hunky Jameson confirms his rejection of Annie in the high school courtyard, with nearly everyone watching, plenty of people jump on social media bandwagon ChitChat to criticize her weight gain and add to her misery.

Donna cooner books