December 7, 2015
Annabeth and Quinn were sibling filmmakers—she the director, he the screenwriter—and Quinn, 16, dreamed that they would become famous collaborators like the Wachowskis, Ephrons, or Coens. Then Annabeth died on an icy road. Six months later, Quinn’s mother is still grief-stricken, and Quinn has holed up in his bedroom. Into this stasis arrives best friend Geoff, who prods him to take a needed shower and get out of the house. Quinn tells part of his rebound story in screenplay form, but the key plot element is his flirtation with Amir, a college guy he meets at a party: the possibility of love (and sex and romance) makes him realize that there’s still a future to look forward to. Federle’s first venture into YA shares the same wry sensibility and theatrical underpinnings of his middle-grade books, while freeing him up to make some edgier jokes (“ ‘A little less tongue,’ he slurs, which was precisely the note I was going to give him”). The mix of vulnerability, effervescence, and quick wit in Quinn’s narration will instantly endear him to readers. Ages 14–up. Agent: Brenda Bowen, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates.
March 1, 2016
Sixteen-year-old Quinn's life is static: less than a year after his sister's fatal car crash in front of their school and his father's subsequent departure, his screenwriting ambitions have been put on hold, his social life has evaporated, and he and his grieving mother stay mostly confined to their house. When his best friend Geoff (who is straight) manages to drag him to a party, Quinn meets college-guy Amir and reemerges from his shell as they develop a mutual attraction. Fearing being seen as a pitiable figure defined only by tragedy, Quinn avoids sharing details of his personal life with Amir, but as the story progresses and he is pushed toward honesty, he begins to reveal his perspective on his sister's accident, and in doing so learns that it might not be the whole story. Although Quinn describes his life as a fairly standard coming-of-age LGBT genre film, with a somewhat macabre horror twist, the narrative focus is less on coming out ( It just seems like such a hassle to come out. I want to just be out ) than it is equal parts romance and friendship, humor and healing. Quinn's relationships with his mom and Geoff are particularly well developed, but the entire cast is well rounded, flawed, funny, and human. Humorous, heartbreaking, and heartwarming, Federle's (Better Nate Than Ever) YA debut takes its place in the lineage of Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower and John Green's coming-of-age tales. kazia berkley-cramer
(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
Starred review from December 15, 2015
Sixteen-year-old Quinn Roberts is officially hiding from the world. Six months after the death of his beloved sister, Annabeth, Quinn's house remains preserved as a shrine to the father who walked out on his family voluntarily and the daughter whose exit was anything but. "Without the vision and silent encouragement of [his] sister," Quinn is ready to renounce his dreams of writing screenplays, yet he cannot help but view the world cinematically. The juxtaposition of Quinn's scripted version of events with what actually occurs enables readers to experience the flawed goofiness of the real world while enjoying Quinn's ideal of how it should be. In his first novel for teens, Federle (Better Nate Than Ever, 2013, etc.) crafts a poignant and thoroughly convincing portrait of a teenager who is acerbic and self-deprecating, astute enough to write piercing observations about his own life yet too self-involved to discern obvious truths about those closest to him. Quinn's supporting cast of characters, both minor and major, are wonderfully flawed and nuanced, from Amir, the college boy upon whom Quinn has a crush, to Mrs. Roberts, who cannot bear to throw away her deceased daughter's favorite junk food. Quinn's epiphanies about his sister and himself are distinctively less cinematic than he would like them to be. The journey he takes to arrive at them, however, is hauntingly authentic and consummately page-turning. A Holden Caulfield for a new generation. (Fiction. 15 & up)
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Starred review from December 1, 2015
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* Sixteen-year-old Quinn is suffering from both the second week of record-high temperatures and the sixth straight month of record-breaking lows. The temperature is due to meteorology; the lows to the death of his older sister in an automobile accident the day before Christmas break. As a result, a devastated Quinn has sequestered himself inside his increasingly messy bedroomuntil, that is, his best friend Geoff persuades him to go to a party, and there he meets the guy, and his life begins to turn around. One thing, though: the guy, Amir, is oldera college student. Can anything good come of that? And will film buff Quinn resume writing screenplays, a practice he ditched in the wake of his collaborator sister's death? Federle's (Better Nate than Ever, 2013) first foray into YA is an accomplished effort, dramatic and distinguished by carefully developed, appealing characters. It is cleverly plotted and smoothly written with many scenes presented in screenplay style. More important, while it has its serious aspects, it is whimsical, wry, and unfailingly funnya refreshing change from the often dour nature of much LGBTQ literature. Bright as a button, this is a treat from start to finish.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)
December 1, 2016
Gr 9 Up-Aspiring screenwriter Quinn Roberts is practically Hollywood-bound until a car accident takes the life of his sister, soul mate, and creative partner, Annabeth. In his grief and disorientation, Quinn is forced to reexamine everything he thought he knew about his craft, his family, and his heart's desire. A voice-driven story that is sad, funny, endearing, and ultimately uplifting.
Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Starred review from January 1, 2016
Gr 10 Up-In the six months since his sister was killed in a car accident, Quinn has hardly left his bedroom. He hasn't gone to school or talked to his best friend and has barely interacted with his heartbroken mother. He hasn't turned on his phone, either, knowing the last text his sister sent before running a red light was to him. Urged on by his best friend, Geoff, Quinn reluctantly emerges from his isolation just in time to meet a cute boy, turn 17, rediscover his passion for writing screenplays, and uncover some big secrets about the people he thought he knew best. He also gets some advice from a former idol, a neighbor turned Hollywood screenwriter: forget the rules of what's expected in a script and just write the truth. For Quinn, who seeks solace in his daydreamy scripts with imagined conversations and outcomes that he can control, this is a hard pill to swallow, especially as he's learning some truths he's not really sure he likes. Even under the weight of grief, Quinn's conversational and charming narrative voice effervesces, mixing humor and vulnerability in typical Federle style. Quinn's story is at turns sad, funny, awkward, and endearing as he figures out friendship, romance, coming out, and moving on. VERDICT Federle's YA debut about life's unscripted moments has wide appeal and is an essential purchase for all collections. Readers will be instant fans of the funny and honest Quinn.-Amanda MacGregor, Great River Regional Library, St. Cloud, MN
Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.