ALA Booklist (Mon Oct 07 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Quinn needs a restart. Guilt over her best friend's death a few years ago, coupled with a regrettable incident at the end of senior year, have her shaken and heading to the Jersey Shore to spend the summer with her favorite young aunt. Will she get a chance to grow stronger emotionally and move forward? Enter another complication in the form of Malcolm Trent, an almost rock star trying to relaunch himself and his career after becoming addicted to painkillers following a serious accident. Of course, they're kind of made for each other, each one deeply immersed in the music scene and haunted in their own way. Doktorski captures the ache and exhilaration of young love as Quinn and Malcolm inch forward with each other. The opioid crisis hovers here, adding a timely layer of complexity to the budding relationship. The story's solidly believable and engaging characters, portrayal of the uncertain course of new love, and avoidance of a simplistic happy ending will pull readers in. An affecting and lyrical, if not light, summer romance.

Kirkus Reviews (Mon Oct 07 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

During a summer at the Jersey shore, a young woman asks questions about loss, love, and music.At 15, Quinn lost her best friend, Lynn, in a car accident—an accident she thinks is her fault. Now 18, Quinn is staying with her aunt, trying to come up with a life plan at her mother's insistence. Yet Quinn can't seem to think beyond the end of the summer. Meeting local musician Malcolm, who became addicted to drugs after a car crash killed two of his band members, makes Quinn start thinking about what she wants. She agrees to play drums on Malcolm's demo, and they begin a relationship—a dangerous one, since Quinn can't help wanting to save Malcolm. There are plenty of people in Quinn's life, such as her aunt, who tell her to put herself first. Now she will have to decide whether to take that advice or live for today by joining Malcolm on tour. All major characters are white. Whether it's due to the lack of sparks between Quinn and Malcolm or the lack of power in the retrospective view of Quinn's problems, the individual notes do not fit together to form a harmonious whole. While the pieces of this novel are all handled competently, they don't quite mesh. (Romance. 14-18)

Publishers Weekly (Mon Oct 07 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Quinn and Malcolm are each grieving the loss of friends: narrator Quinn-s best friend died in a car wreck that nearly killed her, and two of Malcolm-s band members died in a bus accident. Both teens are also struggling with the aftermath of being close to death themselves; Quinn suffers from anxiety, and Malcolm turns to alcohol and drugs to escape. When Malcolm invites Quinn to play drums in his band, she finds the perfect summer distraction from her grief. Doktorski (The Summer After You and Me) fills her latest novel with music-Quinn playing the drums at band practice with Malcolm, recording an album, and playing live. The teens wrestle with their own darkness; Malcolm tries to conquer addiction, and Quinn tries to work through the guilt surrounding her best friend-s accident and its consequences. This is a satisfying blend of family drama, romance, and music, staged in the aftermath of tragedy. Ages 14-up. Agent: Kerry Sparks, Levine Greenberg Rostan Literary Agency. (May)

School Library Journal (Mon Oct 07 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Gr 9 Up-After the death of her best friend August (for which she blames herself) and a humiliating and very public error in judgment involving a young, male teacher at her school, Quinn ends up fleeing to her rock and roller aunt's beachside home. Ostensibly there to work, reflect, and make a "life plan" for the fall, the teen instead teaches herself to play drums and falls in love with a recovering addict who shares her understanding of what it's like to lose someone. Malcolm is picking up the pieces after his former band members died in a car accident, and he enlists Quinn and their friend Liam to record an album of new, soulful songs that he hopes will relaunch his career. Through their shared love for music, and as they both try to come to terms with their grief and guilt, Quinn and Malcolm form an intense bond that transcends fairy-tale romance. It's not an easy or straightforward relationship, and Quinn does end up reflecting deeply on who she is and what she needs as she makes decisions for her post-August future. Readers will be glad to know that Quinn emerges from this back-and-forth stronger, wiser, and more herself than ever. Fans of Leila Sales's This Song Will Save Your Life and Sarah Dessen's Just Listen will likely enjoy this romance. VERDICT Recommended for general purchase. Nora G. Murphy, Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, CA