Publishers Weekly
04/01/2024
Two incarcerated teens fall in love at a gender-segregated juvenile detention center in this uniquely rendered romance by Knowlden, Shusterman, and Young. High school junior Adriana Zaharn writes rhythmic poems in her journal while serving time at Compass, where “days pass in a numbing rain of emotional sleet.” When she misplaces the notebook, 17-year-old Artorias Jonathan “Jon” Kilgore cleverly smuggles it back to her via the Compass library. Adriana’s relief sours upon discovering that Jon has added brazen responses to several entries, yet the journal becomes a lifeline for both as friendly banter evolves into flirtatious revelry between poems and letters, compelling the pair to do the impossible: meet. The intersectionally diverse teen characters that populate this smoothly plotted, emotionally intense read are fully developed and represent a range of incarceration experiences; mostly one-dimensional adults spotlight warped ideas of justice that permeate a corrupt judicial system. Close third-person narration melds letters and slam poetry–inspired verse to deliver a high-stakes, dual-perspective love story that critiques juvenile incarceration and celebrates the connective power of the written word. Jon is Black; Adriana is of Moroccan descent. An author’s note concludes. Ages 13–up. (July)
From the Publisher
"Told in Jon’s and Adriana’s alternating perspectives, the story paints a vivid picture of a harsh reality.... An evocative glimpse into an unjust and unforgiving system." — Kirkus Reviews
"The intersectionally diverse teen characters that populate this smoothly plotted, emotionally intense read are fully developed and represent a range of incarceration experiences... Close third-person narration melds letters and slam poetry–inspired verse to deliver a high-stakes, dual-perspective love story that critiques juvenile incarceration and celebrates the connective power of the written word." — Publishers Weekly
"With its emotional intensity, thoughtful storytelling, and wrenching conclusion, this addictive, gently romantic page-turner will hit readers in both the heart and the gut. Hand this to readers who value ride-or-die friendships and hard-won heartache, and those who grew up loving Holes and are ready to grapple with a grittier take on juvenile justice." — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Kirkus Reviews
2024-04-05
Two incarcerated teens find hope and connection within the pages of a shared journal.
The silver lining of Adriana’s court-ordered seven-month stint in Compass Juvenile Detention Center is the treasured journal where she writes her private thoughts in verse. After misplacing it, she’s furious to find the journal shelved in the library, its pages defaced by someone else’s writing. But this person isn’t just writing commentary—he’s writing to her. Jon has spent nearly four years developing a “fierce reputation” at Compass. The two create a clever method of exchanging the journal, shedding their tough exteriors and revealing their innermost selves to one another. Security inside the gender-divided facility renders in-person contact between Adriana and Jon impossible, but with help from their friends, they hatch a risky plan to lay everything on the line. The intensity of their infatuation escalates quickly, setting the pace for the story’s action-packed second half, which includes a secret code, a hidden plan, and betrayal. Adriana has Moroccan, Greek, and Spanish ancestry, and Jon is Black; teens who are diverse in ethnicity, race, and ability live at Compass. Told in Jon’s and Adriana’s alternating perspectives, the story paints a vivid picture of a harsh reality but misses the opportunity to address class, race, and the impact of racism in the juvenile detention system in meaningful ways.
An evocative glimpse into an unjust and unforgiving system with a gooey love story at its core. (authors’ note) (Fiction. 13-17)
