the darlings are forever by melissa kantor

But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.Īutumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart their mothers are still best friends. While the girls may struggle with the complexities of life and love, readers will be confident that this resilient trio will prevail The strength of the tale lies in the girls’ steadfast, mutual support: Their friendship endures through advice given and not taken, remaining solid when things go awry.

Through the girls’ dating dilemmas, Kantor contemplates such topics as honesty, personal integrity and the importance of maintaining one’s own identity within a relationship. As the trio moves through the peaks and valleys of their relationships, they emerge slightly heartsore but infinitely wiser. Kantor consummately conveys both the heartache and joy of first love. However, the façade of these seemingly perfect relationships soon starts to crumble, as love, like life, quickly becomes complicated. Actress Jane embarks on a new romance with her stunning but mysterious co-star, Simon, while Victoria happily continues dating Jack. Natalya gets a second chance at love when former crush Colin suddenly reappears in her life. Having successfully navigated the transition to high school, the best friends now face their first serious relationships. “The Darlings”-Jane, Natalya and Victoria-return in this tumultuous tale of first love ( The Darlings Are Forever, 2011).

The darlings are forever by melissa kantor