07/01/2018
Gr 9 Up—Callender (Hurricane Child) delivers a sweet YA romance about taking necessary risks. Still reeling from a breakup, Nathan Bird doesn't see the point in dating. After all, all relationships end eventually, right? While he loves the wide range of emotions that he and his friends experience watching movies in film club, he has trouble expressing his feelings aloud. He's also afraid of failing at his dream of becoming a screenwriter. Nate's desire to eschew romance and avoid creative expression in favor of emotional self-preservation is challenged by his childhood best friend and crush, Oliver James Hernández, moving back to town. Callender's novel is full of heartwarming exchanges and positive messages. Nate is dealing with the loss of his father and the impact it's had on his mother. The dialogue between mother and son is often relatable and sometimes painful as they struggle over Nate's desire for more freedom and independence. Oliver is a well-developed character who is hard of hearing, but this physical disability isn't the focus of the narrative. The depth and breadth of representation is welcome. The story is unflinchingly realistic and doesn't sugarcoat the tough stuff, but it's also a quick, breezy tale that will appeal to a wide range of readers. VERDICT Highly recommended for teen and adult readers of realistic romance.—Emily Butler, Deerfield Academy, MA
A delightful testimony to the enduring power of love.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“The depth and breadth of representation is welcome….It’s also a quick, breezy tale that will appeal to a wide range of readers. Highly recommended for teen and adult readers of realistic romance.” — School Library Journal
“This is Kind of an Epic Love Story is a bighearted rom-com that belongs on the big screen. This hilarious and breathless love story of two boys on the path to their happy ending beyond lives up to its title.” — Adam Silvera, New York Times bestselling author of They Both Die at the End
“A fun, quirky story that proves romance and love are possible for every single person no matter what. The book equivalent of a cup of hot cocoa and a warm hug.” — Justina Ireland, New York Times bestselling author of Dread Nation
“A nuanced, heartfelt, and deeply intersectional look at all the exhilaration and messiness of first love and second chances.” — Kelly Loy Gilbert, author of Picture Us In the Light and Conviction
“As an unapologetic fan of a great rom-com, This is Kind of an Epic Love Story gave me all I was looing for, including the one thing that’s challenging to find—a beautiful LGBTQ love story. Kheryn’s novel is hopeful, romantic, and everything my gay heart needed!” — Angelo Surmelis, author of The Dangerous Art of Blending In
A fun, quirky story that proves romance and love are possible for every single person no matter what. The book equivalent of a cup of hot cocoa and a warm hug.
This is Kind of an Epic Love Story is a bighearted rom-com that belongs on the big screen. This hilarious and breathless love story of two boys on the path to their happy ending beyond lives up to its title.
A nuanced, heartfelt, and deeply intersectional look at all the exhilaration and messiness of first love and second chances.
As an unapologetic fan of a great rom-com, This is Kind of an Epic Love Story gave me all I was looing for, including the one thing that’s challenging to find—a beautiful LGBTQ love story. Kheryn’s novel is hopeful, romantic, and everything my gay heart needed!
★ 2018-07-30
Love and second chances are the themes of this engrossing young adult novel.
After being cheated on by his girlfriend, Florence, and watching his mother struggle to accept his father's death, Nathan is not sure that he believes in love anymore. When Oliver, Nate's former best friend, moves back to Seattle and enrolls in his high school, the stage may finally be set for Nate to heal his broken heart. In their debut young adult novel, Callender (Hurricane Child, 2018) assembles a delightful cast of teenage characters who feel so authentic that readers will be scanning their school cafeterias for them. The author has a talent for capturing the earnest-yet-awkward cadence of teenspeak, and they explore the humor and pathos of adolescent relationships in a way that demonstrates a deep respect for the teen audience. While the central love pair is nicely rendered, starting with their meet-cute, Nate's relationships with his mother and with Flo—for whom he still holds a torch—are equally complex. His guilt over his inability to comfort his mom and the awkwardness both he and Flo feel about forging a solid friendship despite their rocky past are eminently relatable. Best of all, Nate, Flo, and Ollie's sexualities are fluid and a nonissue within their familial and social circles. Nate is brown-skinned, Oliver is Latinx, and Florence is biracial (black and Taiwanese).
A delightful testimony to the enduring power of love. (Fiction. 14-18)
