School Library Journal Review
Gr 7 Up-When Miriam meets Weldon in the bookstore where she works, it seems like the beginning of a relationship that was meant to happen. They are smart, have similar senses of humor, and are both fans of the TomorrowMen comics. But their grandfathers cocreated the TomorrowMen, and after they split apart, their families spent decades resenting each other. Now Weldon is the heir to a fortune, while Miriam's family is just scraping by. Miriam thinks that a romance between them is impossible, but little by little Weldon starts wearing down her resistance. Over the course of the narrative, she reexamines her feelings about her friends, her family, Weldon, and herself in order to find closure with the past and embrace happiness. Readers will enjoy watching this flawed and conflicted character evolve, and they will be glad that she has a support system around her to help her deal with her grief and anger. This is Hicks's first prose novel, but like her previous graphic novels, it tells a tale that is filled with humor and heart. VERDICT For fans of realistic fiction, family problems, all-too-human characters, and star-crossed love stories. A must-have.-Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Library © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
In her first prose story for young adults, graphic novelist Hicks (The Nameless City) explores feuding families, comic books, and love. Years ago, Joseph Warrick and Micah Kendrick, cocreators of the popular TomorrowMen comics, fought each other for financial rights. Warrick ended up with millions, and Kendrick received a pittance. Resentment has trickled down through the generations, and now Warrick's grandson Weldon leads a glamorous but unhappy life in L.A., while Kendrick's granddaughter, high school junior Miriam, scrapes by with her family in tiny Sandford, Nova Scotia. After Weldon's parents break up, his bad behavior lands him in Sandford to spend a summer with his aunt and uncle, and the teens' comics shop meet-cute spells instant attraction. They date secretly, aware of their families' wariness of one another, until a lie Weldon tells threatens the budding romance and stirs up old injustices. This modern-day tale of fortune-crossed lovers features a relatable hero and heroine and a happier ending than Shakespeare's tragedy. If supporting characters seem somewhat underdeveloped and resolutions a little too tidy, snappy dialogue and a dramatic climax compensate. Ages 12-up. Agent: Bernadette Baker, Victoria Sanders. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.