February 20, 2012
Eighteen-year-old Cricket’s mother has left a trail of broken relationships behind her, but this time she’s found a “good guy.” Cricket, however, fears that her mother won’t go through with her marriage plans. Indeed, the week leading up to the wedding, as family and friends arrive at a large coastal inn, is fraught with spoiled soon-to-be stepsisters, fighting dogs, and the sudden divorce of the groom’s parents. And Cricket has her own romantic problem: she and her long-term boyfriend, Janssen, are “taking a break” so she can sort out what she really wants (something that grows murkier when she meets the innkeepers’ son). Some readers may tire of offbeat secondary characters and the accelerating chaos, but they will savor Cricket’s thoughtful and poetic
observations about love—her letters to Janssen, in which she writes about her dog, Jupiter, and what dogs reveal about love, are quite moving (“Their goodness is goodness, and their love is love... and nothing you do seems to change that”). Caletti’s (Stay) ninth novel is a rewarding story of a girl’s struggle to live and love in a world of constant change. Ages 12–up.
March 1, 2012
Gr 9 Up-As her family gathers at an isolated bed-and-breakfast to celebrate her mom's marriage, Cricket has a lot on her mind. Her mother is not known for sticking with relationships; will she make it to the altar? The teen has been accepted to two colleges, one close, one far away; which to choose? And, weighing most heavily on her, she did something terrible to her longtime love, Janssen. This may mean the end of their steady, sturdy, wonderful relationship. As wacky wedding high jinks ensue, Cricket writes emails to Janssen, trying to sort through her feelings and determine whether getting back together is what she wants after all. Caletti tosses readers into a story that is fast paced from the get-go, trusting that they can keep up. Cricket is very appealing. Her concerns about life's changes feel real; her relationships with her mom and brother are loving and honest; and her memories of her abusive father are scary, but now held at a safe distance. Caletti shows how a rough childhood made Cricket who she is today, but the novel focuses on other, more present concerns. The week leading up to the wedding speeds along, and, in the aftermath, when the narrative suddenly covers months, readers may feel whiplash from the change of pace. But the center holds, and the author makes readers care about Cricket and her family. A thoughtful and enjoyable book with a bit more meat than many other relationship stories.-Geri Diorio, Ridgefield Library, CT
Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
May 1, 2012
Seventeen-year-old Cricket tells us right away how much she hates change. "Hated it, and was bad at it." Unfortunately, she can't avoid it. Cricket's mom is getting married, college looms, and Cricket and longtime boyfriend Janssen are in an ambiguous "relationship waiting room." But before the future happens, Cricket and a plethora of family and soon-to-be family, friends, and dogs are spending a week at a Washington State beach house. It's a memorable week, characterized by celebrations, fights, budding romance, awkward moments, and, despite Cricket's worst fears, a wedding. Interspersed with the action are Cricket's letters to Janssen, in which she wistfully recalls the trajectory of their relationship and tries to explain why they aren't, and perhaps can't be, together. The story is driven by meticulously delineated and authentically imperfect characters -- even Jupiter, Cricket's elderly beagle, has a personality all her own -- and sharp, clever Gilmore Girls-esque dialogue. Cricket's first-person narration is mature and (sometimes excessively) self-aware; her observations about the nature of family, friendship, and the canine/human connection ring true. Sure, change is imminent, but readers joining Cricket in the achingly painful process of growing up will be reassured by her conclusion that love -- "deep and endless and brave in the face of certain loss" -- makes that dreaded uncertainty bearable. rachel l. smith
(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
March 1, 2012
Cricket accepts that life is transient and change is inevitable; she just needs a survival guide for getting through it. Ready or not, change happens. It's time to choose a college (home or away?) and decide what to do about Janssen, her longtime boyfriend. Having initiated a tentative breakup, Cricket's unsure where to go next. Jupiter, the family's aging, beloved dog, is slowing down. Cricket welcomes her mother Daisy's imminent remarriage. But as friends and family--including former spouses--gather on an island off the Washington coast, tensions arise. Fractured relationships have jagged edges. Change is Daisy's refuge, and Cricket worries that she's looking for an escape route. Smart, likable Cricket is supported by a surfeit of colorful characters and plenty of action. Still, this is a contemplative romance (think chicklit for eggheads). It has a slow, elegiac feel even as it covers a lot of ground--canine-human bonds and loyalty, courage and crutches, the nexus of love and desire. Timid plotting, an insensitive sexual-orientation subplot and the awkward, semi-high-concept narrative device--Cricket's letters to Janssen telling him "their" story--are weak points. Still, Caletti's exceptional insight into and compassion for her characters more than compensate. Adrift in a world where only impermanence is permanent, they remain hopeful, loving what they know can't last. (Fiction. 12 & up)
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Starred review from January 1, 2012
Grades 8-12 *Starred Review* Caletti's latest Pacific Northwest romance is a stunner, with depth and ambiguity that respects and challenges the reader. Recent high-school graduate Cricket is at a crossroads in so many areas of her life: she can't decide which college to attend; she has pushed away her adoring, long-term boyfriend, Janssen; the beloved family dog is clearly on her last legs; and her notorious runaway bride mother has found a terrific guy, Dan, and is getting married and moving out of the family home. Set over the course of the wedding week at an inn on the coast, the plot swirls to a heady, comedic climax while letters from Cricket to Janssen provide backstory. Among the wedding guests are Dan's two spoiled, possessive teen daughters from a previous marriage, two sets of sparring grandparents, and the incredibly attractive Ash, a local boy who flirts nonstop with Cricket. Like many of Caletti's protagonists, Cricket is a tremendously sympathetic Everygirl coping with issues of abandonment and trust. The tone of her narrative swings between wry accounts of comic wedding mishaps and heartbreaking meditations on the nature of love and loss: Love, deep and endless and brave in the face of certain lossthrough death and leavings and growing up and letting go. One of Caletti's best, this is a title to reread and savor. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: A multistate author tour and plenty of promotional backing will ensure this book garners attention even beyond Caletti's sizable fan base.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)
July 1, 2012
Seventeen-year-old Cricket, whose mom is getting married, spends a memorable week at a beach house with a plethora of family and soon-to-be family, friends, and dogs. The story is driven by meticulously delineated and authentically imperfect characters and sharp, clever Gilmore Girlsesque dialogue. Cricket's first-person narration is mature, and her observations about life ring true.
(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)